Earthquake of 7.5 Magnitude Hits Indonesia, Tsunami Warning Issued

Jakarta, September 28: A strong earthquake of magnitude 7.5 on the Richter scale hit central Indonesia on Friday. According to details by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Indonesian disaster agency has issued a Tsunami warning in the wake of the massive quake. There were no immediate reports of damage. No casualties have been reported so far. More details awaited.

Earlier in the day, a strong and shallow earthquake with a 6.1 magnitude struck central Indonesia, geologists informed. No tsunami warning was issued. According to a report by PTI, the strong quake was centred around 18 kilometres (11 miles) deep, just off the coast of Sulawesi island, the US Geological Survey said.

Indonesia is one of the most disaster-prone nations in the world, where nearly 7,000 earthquakes, mostly moderate, are recorded each year. The nation is prone to earthquakes because of its location on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. Indonesia, also known as the archipelago nation, falls in the region where tectonic plates collide and many of the world's volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur. Earthquake in Lombok: Three Killed After 7.0 Magnitude Quake Rocks the Tourist Island Near Bali in Indonesia.

On Thursday, a 5.0 magnitude earthquake rocked Indonesia's western Aceh,  the US Geological Survey said. The epicentre of the quake was 20 kilometres northwest of the city of Langsa.

In 2014, Indonesia witnessed a massive earthquake that triggered a tsunami in the region. The massive quake killed nearly 280,000 people in around a dozen countries along the Indian Ocean.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 28, 2018 04:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).