TIMIKA, Indonesia, Sept 10, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - A strong 6.2-magnitude 
earthquake jolted a coastal region of Papua in eastern Indonesia Saturday 
morning and was followed by two weaker aftershocks minutes later, the US 
Geological Survey said.

The first two quakes -- the second a 5.8-magnitude tremor -- hit at a 
relatively shallow depth of 15 kilometres, about 272 kilometres (169 miles) 
from the town of Abepura, according to the USGS. 

A third 5.9-magnitude quake then hit the area at a depth of 32 kilometres. 

No casualties or damages were immediately reported by authorities and no 
tsunami warning accompanied the inland quakes.

But the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BKMG) warned of 
moderate shaking and potential light damage.

It also told residents of nearby towns to "watch out for possible 
aftershocks" in its online advisory.

BKMG earthquake and tsunami coordinator Daryono, who like many Indonesians 
goes by one name, told AFP no reports of damage were immediately available 
from the area.

The official, citing the agency's modelling, said the quakes were lightly 
felt by residents in Sarmi, a coastal town of about 11,000 people close to 
the epicentre, and the neighbouring Mamberamo area, home to about 36,000 
people.

Indonesia is one of the most disaster-prone nations on Earth.

The country experiences frequent earthquakes due to its position on the 
Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of intense seismic activity where tectonic 
plates collide, that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across 
the Pacific basin. 

A 6.2-magnitude quake that shook Sulawesi island in January 2021 killed more 
than 100 people and left thousands homeless, reducing buildings to a tangled 
mass of twisted metal and chunks of concrete in the seaside city of Mamuju.

In 2018, a 7.5-magnitude quake and a subsequent tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi 
killed more than 2,200 people with a thousand more declared missing.

On December 26, 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck Aceh province, 
causing a tsunami and killing more than 170,000 people in Indonesia.