Tsunami warnings were issued in Indonesia following a major earthquake in the Banda Sea which could be felt as far as Australia. The magnitude 7.9 earthquake, which struck at 0.47am Tuesday morning local time (around 5.47pm UK time), led to seismologists issuing evacuation orders.
Centred in the Banda Sea, the quake occurred about 368 kilometers (229 miles) northeast of the small Asian country of East Timor, but four minutes of shaking could be felt as far as the city of Darwin in Australia, according to local residents.
Indonesia’s seismological agency BMKG put the preliminary magnitude at 7.9, while the US Geological Survey (USGS) put it lower, at 7.6. It struck about 95 kilometers below the seabed, which is relatively deep.
Details of damage or casualties caused by the quake is not yet known.
BMKG have issued warnings of a tsunami for nearby islands, urging residents to move to higher ground. Other countries in the region have not issued a tsunami warning.
However, the weather agency later cancelled their warnings.
The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre said in a statement: “There is no tsunami threat to the Australian mainland, islands or territories”.
The earthquake comes just a day after the US issued a tsunami warning for Vanuatu following a 7.2 magnitude earthquake in the South Pacific Ocean. Later updates predicted that waves of between 0.3 and 1 metres would hit some coasts of the country.
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