17 Nov 2011

Strong quake in Indonesia's Papua

8:43 am on 17 November 2011

A strong earthquake hit Indonesia's province of Papua, causing panic among residents, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency says the quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2, struck yesterday morning.

The agency said the quake was centered about 34 kilometers southwest of the mountainous town of Oksibil at a depth of 57 kilometers.

It shocked residents in Oksibil, which is located south of Papua's provincial capital, Jayapura.

A giant quake off the country on December 26, 2004, triggered a tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed 230,000 people, half of them in Indonesia's westernmost province of Aceh.