© AFP
The quake, struck at 00:53 a.m. Saturday (1553 GMT Friday), was centered about 28 kilometers (17 miles) north of Sorong, a town of Indonesia's West Papua province, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site. It occurred at a depth of 24 kilometers (15 miles).
Hundreds of people fled their homes in panic in Sorong and Manokwari city, 315 kilometer (195 miles) to the west, and several houses were reported damage, said Karel Roni, the operational chief at Sorong Search and Rescue Agency.
He said no immediate reports on casualties and rescuers are still collecting data on damages and injuries.
Indonesia's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency put the underwater quake's preliminary magnitude at 6.8 but has no potential to generate tsunami waves along nearby coasts, said Budi Waluyo from the agency.
The world's largest archipelago, Indonesia is prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.
In 2004, a monster temblor off Aceh shores triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries. Most of the deaths were in Aceh.
Source: Associated Press
Comment: There has been increasing seismic and volcanic activity around Indonesia recently:
- 6.4 magnitude earthquake strikes in east Indonesia, no Tsunami alert: USGS
- USGS: Earthquake Magnitude 7.0 - 234 km W of Abepura, Indonesia
- Magnitude 6.0 earthquake strikes off Indonesia, no tsunami threat
- 5 volcanoes in Indonesia erupt simultaneously - Ash clouds force airport closures
- Indonesia's Mount Raung volcano erupts blasting ash, debris 12,460 feet into the air
Keep informed on these increasingly chaotic events by viewing the monthly SOTT Earth Changes Summary.SOTT Earth Changes Summary - August 2015: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs