Moderate quake strikes Indonesia

JAKARTA, Nov 16, 2010 (AFP) - A moderate 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck northern Papua in Indonesia on Tuesday but there were no immediate reports of damage, the US Geological Survey said.

JAKARTA, Nov 16, 2010 (AFP) - A moderate 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck northern Papua in Indonesia on Tuesday but there were no immediate reports of damage, the US Geological Survey said.

No tsunami warning was issued.

The quake hit at 10:39 am (0139 GMT) on the Papua coast 198 kilometres (123 miles) from Jayapura and 264 kilometres from Vanimo in Papua New Guinea, at a depth of 18 kilometres, USGS said.

Indonesia is battling the aftermath of a volcanic eruption in central Java that has killed at least 259 people and a tsunami off western Sumatra, triggered by an undersea quake, which killed 428 in October and left tens of thousands homeless.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where the meeting of continental plates causes high seismic activity.

A dead livestock lies on the ground in the devastated village destroyed by the Mount Merapi eruption in Kraten district, Central Java, Indonesia on November 15, 2010. Thousands of Indonesian families returned to their villages Monday even as scientists warned Mount Merapi volcano remained a severe threat. AFP
A dead livestock lies on the ground in the devastated village destroyed by the Mount Merapi eruption in Kraten district, Central Java, Indonesia on November 15, 2010. Thousands of Indonesian families returned to their villages Monday even as scientists warned Mount Merapi volcano remained a severe threat. AFP

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