Strong Earthquake Rocks Indonesia’s Papua Province

A strong earthquake rocked parts of Indonesia’s Papua province on Sunday, causing panic among residents but no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

Indonesia’s Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said the magnitude 6.5 earthquake was centered about 53 kilometers (33 miles) northeast of Waren, a town on the northern coast of Papua island. It was followed by two strong aftershocks, the first of magnitude 5.3, the second of magnitude 5.5, the agency said.

The initial quake, with a depth of 132 kilometers (82 miles), caused residents in Serui to pour into the streets in panic, said Daud Yusuf of the agency’s local office.

He said the tremor was also felt in nearby Biak island, and Enarotali town on the main island.

The U.S. Geological Survey put the initial quake’s magnitude at 6.4 at a depth of 36.1 kilometers (22 miles).