An earthquake of magnitude 6.4 struck the Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province on Thursday, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said.
The Indonesian geological agency (BMKG) pegged the magnitude at 6.3 with no tsunami potential. The epicentre of the quake was onshore and at a depth of 25 kilometers (15.5 miles), located 15 kilometres from the capital of East Nusa Tenggara province, Kupang.
The quake was strongly felt in several cities in the province, but there were no immediate reports of damages.
Hotel guests at Aston Hotel in Kupang were panicking when the quake hit, said Samuel Malohana, a hotel employee. Around 100 guests left their room and gathered in front of the hotel.
“But now most of them have come back to their room and no damages at the hotel,” Samuel said.
Head of the Earthquake and Tsunami Center of BMKG, Daryono, said he received report of light damages at the office of Kupang’s regional head.
Indonesia straddles the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” an area of high seismic activity that rests atop multiple tectonic plates. (Reporting by Gursimran Kaur in Bengaluru and Ananda Teresia in Jakarta; Editing by Diane Craft and Lisa Shumaker)
