5.3-magnitude earthquake strikes off Indonesia’s Highland Papua

Jakarta, July 24 (IANS) A 5.3-magnitude earthquake jolted off Indonesia’s eastern Highland Papua province on Wednesday morning, the country’s meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency said.

The inland earthquake struck at 07:22 a.m. Jakarta time, with the epicentre located 96 km northeast of the Mamberamo Tengah regency at a depth of 26 km, according to the agency as reported by Xinhua news agency.

Indonesia, an archipelagic country, lies in a vulnerable quake-hit zone called “the Pacific Ring of Fire,” making the nation prone to earthquakes.

–IANS

int/khz