6.7 magnitude quake strikes off Indonesia's Papua

A 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua today, the US Geological Survey said, but there was no immediate tsunami alert issued.

The epicentre of the quake, which struck at 7.01 am IST, was 247 kilometres southwest of Nabire in Papua and 108 kilometres north of Dobo in the Aru Islands, USGS said. It hit at a depth of 24 kilometres.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre website said there was no current warning or advisory in effect.

"There is no tsunami potential. The quake was felt in towns of Nabire, Wamena in Papua and the city of Ambon in Maluku islands," Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency duty officer, Fauzi, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, said.

"We haven't received any reports of damage so far," he said, adding the agency measured the quake at 7.0 magnitude.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

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