Strong 6.2-magnitude quake hits eastern Indonesia, no tsunami warning issued
A strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia today, US Geological Survey (USGS) said, but there was no tsunami warning or immediate reports of damage. The offshore tremor struck at a shallow depth of 8km, about 100km southeast of Kupang on Indonesian portion of Timor island, USGS said. A string of deadly earthquakes that rocked Indonesia's Lombok island this summer killed 555 people.
Indonesia, one of the most disaster-prone nations
Indonesia, one of the most disaster-prone nations on earth, straddles the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide and many of the world's volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur. In 2004, a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 9.3 undersea earthquake off the coast of Sumatra in western Indonesia killed 220,000 people in the countries around the Indian Ocean, including 168,000 in Indonesia.
