6.1-magnitude earthquake rocks Indonesia's Papua

The earthquake was first reported at a 6.1-magnitude, 174km from Jayapura, Indonesia. PHOTO: USGS

JAKARTA (AFP) - A 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit Papua, in eastern Indonesia Sunday (Dec 16), US seismologists said, but no tsunami warning was issued.

The quake was about 158km south-southwest of the province's capital Jayapura at 6.42pm (0942 GMT), at a depth of 61km, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

The quake was felt in Jayapura, but residents didn't panic, a military spokesman said.

"I felt it at home," Papua's military spokesman in Jayapura Dax Sianturi said.

Officials are still assessing the impact of the quake, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide.

Last September, a 7.5-magnitude quake and a subsequent tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi island killed more than 2,200 with a thousand more declared missing.

On boxing day December 26, 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck Aceh province, causing a tsunami and killing more than 170,000 in Indonesia.

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