Jakarta, June 24: A strong earthquake of 7.3-magnitude struck off the Indonesian coast on Monday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported. According to a tweet by ANI, the massive quake hit the Banda Sea off Indonesia. No tsunami warning has been issued. There were no immediate reports of casualties after the earthquake.

According to the USGS, the quake hit at a depth of 220 km, the USGS said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injury. According to the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami was not expected after the quake, which was initially recorded with a magnitude of 7.2. Earthquake in Lombok: Three Killed After 7.0 Magnitude Quake Rocks the Tourist Island Near Bali in Indonesia.

Earlier in the day, a 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit Papua, in eastern Indonesia, US seismologists said, but no tsunami warning was issued. According to reports, the quake hit about 240 kilometres west of the town of Abepura in Papua province at 10:05 am local time, at a depth of 21 kilometres, according to the US Geological Survey. In the last week, a shallower 6.3-magnitude hit the area, but the damage was not extensive.

The island nation 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.

In 2018, a 7.5-magnitude quake and a subsequent tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi island killed more than 2,200 with a thousand more declared missing. On December 26, 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck Aceh province, causing a tsunami and killing more than 170,000.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 24, 2019 08:58 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).