Indonesia earthquake LIVE: Huge 6.5 earthquake rocks Indonesia as tsunami feared

22 mins ago10:27 Eleanor Burleigh

The 6.5-magnitude earthquake that struck Indonesia this morning does not pose a tsunami threat to the region, the Pacific Tusunami Warning Centre has confirmed.

The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at around 5:24pm local ime (8:24am BST), with its epicentre about 193 kilometres northwest of the town of Abepura.

42 mins ago10:07 Eleanor Burleigh

Indonesia frequently experiences earthquakes because of its position on the 'Pacific Ring of Fire', and previous natural disasters have killed hundreds of people and destroyed properties.

A 6.2 earthquake in Sulawesi in January 2021 killed over 100 people and left thousands homeless. A magnitude 7.5 quake and subsequent tsunami also killed over 2,200 people, and more than 17,000 died after a 9.1 quake caused a tsunami in the Aceh province in 2004.

Indonesia is frequently hit by earthquakes (Image: Getty)

51 mins ago09:58 Eleanor Burleigh

Initial reports from Indonesia have not included news of any casualties or damage, although the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said strong tremors have been felt in locations close to the epicentre, 27km southeast of Sarmi Regency in Papua Province. The agency's shake map also showed light to moderate tremors in nearby areas, the Xinhua news outlet reports.

Indonesia sits in the 'Pacific Ring of Fire', a tectonic belt of volancoes and sites of seismic activity around the edges of the Pacific Ocean.

1 hour ago09:49 Alice Scarsi

The earthquake struck 193 kilometres west-northwest of Abepura, located in northern Indonesia. 

The map shows the exact location it hit. 

The area where the tremor struck (Image: USGS)

1 hour ago09:48 Alice Scarsi

Experts at the respected USGS said there was a tsunami risk in light of the tremor. 

No tsunami warning was issued, however. 

1 hour ago09:47 Alice Scarsi