Strong earthquake rocks Indonesia’s Java Island, authorities warn of possible aftershocks

A strong and shallow undersea earthquake shook the eastern side of Indonesia’s main island of Java on Friday, causing some damage but no immediate reports of casualties.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake measured 6.4 and struck at a depth of 8.5 kilometers (5.2 miles) north of Paciran in East Java province.

Two other quakes of lesser magnitudes had struck the same area earlier Friday and were also felt in Surabaya, the nearest city, while buildings in Jakarta, the capital, swayed for several seconds after the third earthquake.

Authorities said a house and a village town hall collapsed in Tuban district.

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Patients are evacuated to emergency tents after a 4.8 magnitude earthquake struck Sumedang, West Java, on Jan. 1, 2024. U.S. geological Survey reported that a strong undersea earthquake shook the eastern side of Indonesia’s main Island of Java on  March 22, 2024. No immediate casualties were reported.  (TIMUR MATAHARI/AFP via Getty Images)

Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency said there was no danger of a tsunami but warned of possible aftershocks.

Indonesia, a seismically active archipelago of 270 million people, is prone to seismic upheaval because of its location on major geological faults known as the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”

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A magnitude 5.6 earthquake last year killed some 600 in West Java’s Cianjur city. It was the deadliest in Indonesia since a 2018 quake and tsunami in Sulawesi killed more than 4,300 people.

In 2004, an extremely powerful Indian Ocean quake set off a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in a dozen countries.