Powerful and deep magnitude 6.9 earthquake strikes off Indonesia

A powerful and deep magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Friday (August 21st) off eastern Indonesia, without triggering a tsunami warning and without damage being reported at first, the center said. American Geology USGS.

Read also: Indonesia hit by two powerful earthquakes off Sumatra

The earthquake occurred more than 600 kilometers deep and about 220 kilometers south of the town of Katabu on the island of Celebes, according to the USGS which said the quake was felt in the hundreds. kilometers from the epicenter.

The deepest earthquakes tend to cause the least damage. “ So far, we have not received any reports of damage, ” said the Indonesian geophysical agency.

An AFP journalist in Kupang, in the far south of the epicenter, said he saw buildings shake in the quake and panicked residents rush outside. The Indonesian archipelago is located on the Pacific " ring of fire ", an area of ​​high seismic activity.

Third earthquake in a week

On Wednesday, two large-scale, shallow earthquakes struck Indonesia off the island of Sumatra without claiming any casualties or causing significant damage.

In 2018, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake followed by a tsunami on the island of Sulawesi left more than 4,300 dead and missing.

Another devastating 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra in 2004, causing a tsunami that killed 220,000 people in the region, including around 170,000 in Indonesia.