A Powerful 7.6 Deep-Sea Earthquake Damages buildings in Indonesia, Tremor Felt in Australia

JAKARTADAILY.ID - Indonesia was struck by a powerful deep-sea earthquake, which damaged village buildings in a lightly populated island chain in the eastern part of the country early Tuesday, January 10, 2023.

Various international media outlets, including The New York Post reported that the earthquake's powerful shakes were felt all the way in northern Australia.

Local authorities reported that two school buildings and as many as 15 houses were damaged in the Tanimbar islands, a group of islands in the Maluku province of Indonesia.

Only one person was reportedly injured.

“Local residents felt strong tremors for three to five seconds. Panic arose when the quake shook. The residents fled their houses,” said Abdul Muhari, spokesperson of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, in a statement on Tuesday.

The epicenter of the magnitude 7.6 earthquake originated in the Banda Sea, close to Tanimbar islands, which harbors around 127,000 residents, according to government data from 2021.

The New York Post reported tremors were felt in several regions, including Papua and East Nusa Tenggara provinces, as well as in northern Australia.

Tsunami warning

The country’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency issued a tsunami warning that was lifted three hours later.

The agency's head Dwikorita Karnawati said, however, based on four tide gauge observations around the center of the earthquake, it did not create any significant anomaly or change in sea level.