Strong earthquake of 6.6 magnitude in Indonesia, depth 358 kilometres

A strong earthquake of 6.6 magnitude has struck the Java region of Indonesia. The earthquake was felt near Teluknaga area in the north-eastern part of the country at dawn local time on Friday. According to information from the US Geological Survey (USGS), the magnitude of the earthquake was 6.6.

USGS informed that the earthquake struck at 4:23:55am local time on Friday. Its epicentre was about 115 kilometres north-northeast of Teluknaga. The depth of the earthquake from the earth’s surface was about 358.6 kilometres.

As it occurred deep underground, the impact of the earthquake is likely to remain relatively limited. In the preliminary assessment of USGS also a ‘green alert’ has been given in the field of earthquake-related casualties and economic losses.

No news of immediate casualties or major infrastructural damage was received after the earthquake. It has been informed in reports of international media that the situation is being monitored at the local level.

Indonesia is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. As the country is located near the junction of several active tectonic plates, earthquakes are regularly felt there. There is a risk of earthquakes in the region due to the Australian plate sliding under the Sunda plate in the Sunda Trench area south of Java island.

Earlier on the same Friday another earthquake of 6.2 magnitude struck near the Maluku region of Indonesia. The country’s geophysics agency had informed that there was no possibility of tsunami after that earthquake and no news of immediate damage was received either.