3 dead in Java quake, another 7.0 jolts Papua New Guinea

Two major quakes hit Indonesia and Papua New Guinea located in the Pacific Ring of Fire on Thursday, killing at least three people in Java.

An earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter struck off the coast of the islands of Java and Bali in Indonesia killing three people in buildings than shattered like a house of cards, Efe news reported.

The quake occurred in the Bali Sea located between the islands of Bali and Java.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesperson for the Indonesian Disaster Prevention Agency tweeted images of several destroyed buildings that the victims were found in the Sumenep district of Java.

Later a 7.0 quake shook the New Britain island of Papua New Guinea (PNG), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

It occurred at a depth of 40.3 km at 6.48 a.m. and the epicentre was located some 117 km east of Kimbe, the capital of the province of Western New Britain, with a population of 27,000.

The Pacific Tsunami Centre had initially warned of huge waves but the alert was later cancelled. There were no immediate reports of damage in PNG.

The USGS said the hypocentre of the Indonesian tremor was located about 10 km below the ocean floor. It struck at 49.5 km northeast of Panji in eastern Java and 157 km northwest of Denpasar in Bali.

The latest quake came on the same day when the Indonesian authorities planned to conclude the search for victims of the quake-tsunami that struck its Sulawesi Island on September 28.

The latest toll in the September quake is 2,045 from that disaster while around 5,000 are still missing, possibly trapped under mud and debris.

The Australian Tsunami Warning Centre also reported no risk for Australian coastlines. The PNG earthquake was followed by three aftershocks of between 5.7 and 6.2 magnitude.

Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a geologically active region which frequently experiences tremors.

The Indonesian archipelago is in an area that experiences intense seismic and volcanic movements, which produce about 7,000 earthquakes each year, most of which are of moderate magnitude.

--IANS

in/