A powerful earthquake, reported at a magnitude of 7.2 in the Banda Sea close to Timor Leste and Indonesia was felt by residents as far south as Darwin in Australia.
The earthquake was recorded at a depth of about 207 km, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS)
CNN reported buildings were evacuated in Darwin as a precaution.
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said there was no tsunami threat to Australia, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said the quake was too deep to generate a tsunami.
The earthquake was felt in parts of Indonesia and in East Timor’s capital Dili, but there were no reports of damage.
The quake was one of several to hit the Indonesian archipelago Monday, with at least nine temblors also rocking the Indonesian side of the island of Papua, according to the USGS.
Indonesia is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location along the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”
Monday’s earthquakes all struck in the “Ring of Fire,” one of the most seismically active areas. The USGS says about 90% of the world’s earthquakes occur in the region.
