Iran Press/Asia: A deep earthquake of magnitude 7.5 struck off the coasts of East Timor and Indonesia on Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said, and Pacific monitoring authorities ruled out the chance of tsunami, Reuters reported.
Strong shaking caused alarm in the East Timor capital of Dili, prompting people to run out of their houses, a Reuters witness said, but there were no immediate reports of deaths or damage.
The quake was also felt on Indonesia’s holiday island of Bali, several people said on social media. But there were no immediate reports of damage or injury in Indonesia, said Rita Rosita, an official of the national disaster mitigation agency.
The quake, centred in the Banda Sea, was felt in Australia's north on Monday, as it hit just before 12pm local time. Its epicentre was reported to be off the coast of East Timor, to the north of Darwin, at a depth of 222 kilometres.
The Banda Sea quake was recorded minutes after a 6.1 tremblor in a thinly populated area 233 kilometers (144 miles) west of Papua province’s Abepura town, at a depth of 20 kilometers (12 miles).
213/209
