Magnitude 6.3 earthquake strikes Papua, Indonesia; no tsunami threat
The quake's epicentre was located approximately 193 kilometres northwest of Abepura town.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center confirmed there was no tsunami threat following the tremor.
No immediate reports of casualties or structural damage have been recorded.
USGS initially reported the quake as magnitude 6.5 before revising it downward.
Indonesia frequently experiences seismic activity due to its location on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire'.
This volatile zone is known for intense tectonic plate collisions spanning from Japan to Southeast Asia.
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake in Sulawesi in January 2021 claimed over 100 lives and displaced thousands.
In 2018, a devastating magnitude 7.5 quake and tsunami in Palu, Sulawesi, killed more than 2,200 people.
The 2004 Aceh earthquake, measuring 9.1, triggered a catastrophic tsunami with over 170,000 Indonesian fatalities. - AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
9 hours ago
- The Sun
Greece battles wildfire near Patras as heatwave fuels blazes across Europe
ATHENS: Firefighters are working tirelessly to control a wildfire threatening Greece's third-largest city Patras, one of more than 20 fires prompting the country to request European Union support. Strong winds and arid conditions have intensified fires nationwide during a heatwave affecting southern Europe, with Spain, Portugal, Montenegro and Albania also combating blazes. Since early Wednesday, Greece mobilised 4,850 firefighters and 33 aircraft to tackle the crisis, according to fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis. He described the situation as 'a very difficult day', noting 15 firefighters required hospital treatment after battling multiple fires. Conditions near Patras showed slight improvement, but a new fire near the ancient Voudeni archaeological site endangered forests and homes while shrouding the area in dense smoke, an AFP journalist observed. A health facility was evacuated on Tuesday, along with a vehicle storage yard containing 100 cars, while several houses sustained damage. Approximately 20 villages were evacuated in the Peloponnese's western Achaia region, where Patras is located. 'The catastrophe is very big,' West Achaia mayor Grigoris Alexopoulos told Greek news agency ANA. Additional fires raged on tourist destinations Zante and Chios, the latter still recovering from June's devastating blaze that destroyed over 4,000 hectares. Coastguard teams assisted nearly 80 evacuations from Chios and areas near Patras. Temperatures in western Greece, including the northwest Peloponnese, were forecast to approach 40C on Wednesday by national weather service EMY. Greece formally requested four water bombers through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism on Tuesday to reinforce firefighting capabilities. 'This is undoubtedly the toughest 24 hours of the fire season,' firefighter union president Kostas Tsigkas told broadcaster ERT. He noted 82 fires erupted on Tuesday alone, exacerbated by strong winds, drought and extreme heat creating 'huge difficulties' for crews. Gusts reaching 88 kph have swept Greece since last week, worsening a deadly wildfire south of Athens that claimed one life. European Forest Fire Information System data shows Greece has lost over 22,000 hectares to wildfires this year. – AFP
The Sun
9 hours ago
- The Sun
European satellite launches to boost extreme weather monitoring
KOUROU: A new European satellite designed to improve extreme weather monitoring blasted into orbit aboard an Ariane 6 rocket from French Guiana. The MetOp-SGA1 satellite will provide earlier warnings for deadly heatwaves, storms and other disasters across Europe as part of a US-led global weather tracking system. 'Metop-SGA1 observations will help meteorologists improve short- and medium-term weather models that can save lives by enabling early warnings of storms, heatwaves, and other disasters,' said the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites. The four-tonne satellite reached its 800 kilometre high polar orbit equipped with instruments twice as precise as existing weather monitoring technology. It will track ocean temperatures, atmospheric greenhouse gases, desert dust movements and cloud cover with unprecedented accuracy for European forecasters. 'Extreme weather has cost Europe hundreds of billions euros and tens of thousands of lives over the past 40 years,' said EUMETSAT director-general Phil Evans. The satellite represents Europe's first contribution to the Joint Polar System programme, which coordinates weather satellites between the north and south poles. This marked the third successful launch for Ariane 6 since its debut flight last year, with 32 more missions planned from the Kourou spaceport in coming years. 'The launch of Metop-SGA1 is a major step forward in giving national weather services sharper tools to save lives and protect property,' Evans added. – AFP
The Sun
10 hours ago
- The Sun
Cincinnati Open rain delays Zverev and Pegula mid-match
RAIN and lightning disrupted play at the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Open, leaving key matches unfinished. Alexander Zverev was leading Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 5-4 when the weather forced a stoppage. Jessica Pegula was locked in a battle with Magda Linette, trailing 7-6 (7/5) but winning the second set 6-3 before the delay. Toronto champion Ben Shelton's match against Roberto Bautista Agut was postponed entirely due to the storm. Carlos Alcaraz avoided the chaos, defeating Hamad Medjedovic 6-4, 6-4 earlier in the day. 'Medjedovic doesn't like to run that much, so I tried to move him around as much as possible,' Alcaraz said. The Spaniard now has 13 consecutive Masters 1000 wins and 50 victories this season. He will face Luca Nardi in the quarter-finals after the Italian's opponent, Jakob Mensik, retired mid-match. 'I was really happy to get the win in a very difficult match,' Alcaraz added. Karen Khachanov secured a 6-3, 6-3 win over Jenson Brooksby in another completed match. Francisco Comesana edged Reilly Opelka in a gruelling three-setter, saving three match points. Opelka required medical attention for dizziness and high blood pressure before losing 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-5. Comesana will next face Andrey Rublev, who overcame Alexei Popyrin in a tight three-set battle. In the WTA draw, Coco Gauff advanced without playing as Dayana Yastremska withdrew due to illness. Jasmine Paolini and Ella Seidel also progressed with straight-set victories. Barbora Krejcikova defeated Iva Jovic in three sets to reach the next round. The tournament continues with rescheduled matches as players adjust to the disrupted schedule. - AFP
