Indonesia: 5.2 magnitude earthquake hits Papua, four killed as building collapses

A 5.2 magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's Papua on Thursday and claimed lives of four people besides damagingmany buildings, the country's disaster agency said. Agency's head Asep Khalid in a statement said that the victims were at a cafe when the quake hit, causing the building to collapse, Reuters reported.

Putri Kurita, who was having lunch at another restaurant bolted for the exit fearing that the building would collapse. She said, "I was having lunch when things suddenly swayed, then joltsgot much stronger."

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The quake in the easternmost region of Papua was felt strongly for two to three seconds, causing panic among people.

According to the country's geophysics agency BMKG, the epicentre of the earthquake was one kilometre from Jayapura, the capital of Papua province at a depth of 10 km.

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) recorded the quake at a magnitude of 5.5 on the Richter scale.

This quake is one of more than a thousand recorded in the area since the beginning of this year, BMKG said.

Agency's chief Dwikorita Karnawati said, "Since January 2, 2023, there have been 1,079 quakes around Jayapura, with about 132 felt by its residents."

Several unverified footages of the quake were shared on social media, where a harbour-side building collapsed into the sea besides damage to a mall and hospital in the city.

Indonesia's meteorological agency has warned of potential aftershocks.

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

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