Jakarta, July 14: Two strong earthquakes of magnitude 7.3  and 5.8 on the Richter scale struck the island nation- Indonesia on Sunday. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the massive quakes occurred at Halmahera island in Indonesia at 09:10 (local time) and 09.43 (local time) on Sunday. Halmahera, formerly known as Jilolo, Gilolo, or Jailolo, is the largest island in the Maluku Islands. However, there are no reports of any collateral damage or casualty.

Earlier in the day, a quake of magnitude 6.4 hit the West Australian coast. According to European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), a strong quake of magnitude 6.4 struck 210 km west of Broome in Australia.

On July 7, a strong quake of magnitude 6.9 occurred the Molucca Sea, which is located between the islands of Sulawesi and Maluku. The earthquake was so strong that the country’s geophysics agency issued a tsunami warning for coastal communities nearby. The warning was issued for the eastern coast of North Sulawesi and the western coast of North Maluku. Earthquake in Lombok: Three Killed After 7.0 Magnitude Quake Rocks the Tourist Island Near Bali in Indonesia.

Indonesia is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location along the Pacific “Ring of Fire.” The island is one of the most disaster-prone nations in the world, where nearly 7,000 earthquakes, mostly moderate, are recorded each year.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 14, 2019 03:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).