The United States Geological Survey reported a 7.1-magnitude earthquake in Indonesia’s Banda Sea on Wednesday, with no early indications of damage or injuries.
According to the USGS, no tsunami warning was issued for the magnitude 6.9 quake, which struck at 11:53 a.m. local time (0453 GMT).
According to the Indonesian Meteorological, Climatological, and Geophysical Agency, or BMKG, the tremor was felt moderately in the town of Saumlaki in the archipelago’s Tanimbar Islands.
“The earthquake was quite intense. But the people here were not panicking. We are used to having earthquakes,” Saumlaki resident Lambert Tatang told AFP.
“Especially after we learned that there was no tsunami threat, so life is just normal now,” the 41-year-old said.
Due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of strong seismic activity that spans from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin, Indonesia is prone to earthquakes.
A 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck the populous West Java region on the country’s main island of Java in November of last year, killing 602 people.
In 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake rocked the shore of Sumatra, triggering a tsunami that killed 220,000 people across the region, including around 170,000 in Indonesia.