Strong 7.7-magnitude quake strikes off Indonesia: USGS

JAKARTA - A strong 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia’s Flores island early on Aug 15, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.The epicentre of the quake was located off the north coast of the island, about 68km north-west of Ende, USGS said. The quake struck at a relatively shallow depth of just 10km.The initial quake was followed by two strong aftershocks in the same area, of magnitude 5.6 and 5.9.Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) warned of the possibility of tsunami waves being generated by the quake.Separately, Australia’s tsunami warning centre said the undersea earthquake will have “no tsunami threat to the Australian mainland, islands or territories”.Indonesia and neighbouring countries experience frequent earthquakes due to their location in the Pacific “Ring of Fire” – an arc of intense seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin. AFP, REUTERS