28 Jul 2015

Magnitude 7.0 quake hits Papua

11:02 am on 28 July 2015

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake has hit the Indonesian province of Papua.

It struck 234km west of the town of Abepura and 247km west of Papua's capital, Jayapura.

The United States Geological Survey said it struck at a depth of 52km, although the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said it was at a depth of 33km.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said based on all available data, a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami was not expected.

In 1981, the province was struck by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake, which killed more than 300 people, damaging structures and buildings.

In 1998, an off-coast undersea quake struck the north of nearby Papua New Guinea, which shares a border with Papua. The resulting tsunami claimed the lives of more than 2,000 people.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre says there is no Pacific-wide tsunami threat.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre says there is no Pacific-wide tsunami threat. Photo: Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre