New Delhi: On Friday, A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of East Timor, the US Geological Survey said. A tsunami advisory group said the earthquake “may be capable of generating a tsunami affecting the Indian Ocean region”. The US Geological Survey has confirmed that there were no immediate reports of damage.
According to the USGS, the earthquake occurred at a depth of 51.4 kilometres (32 miles) off the eastern edge of Timor Island, which is divided between East Timor and Indonesia.
A tsunami warning has been issued for the region by the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWMS). East Timor is located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” which means it is prone to earthquakes. A 6.2-magnitude earthquake shook Indonesia’s North Sumatra in February, killing a dozen people. A 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck Sumatra’s shore in 2004, triggering a tsunami that killed 220,000 people across the region, including around 170,000 in Indonesia.
