Magnitude-5 earthquake shakes Tanimbar, Maluku

An earthquake of magnitude 5 struck the sea area off Tanimbar, in the Tanimbar Islands Regency, Maluku, on Thursday (21 May) around 08:12 Western Indonesian Time (WIB). The BMKG Class I station at Puncang Karang Panjang, Ambon, recorded the quake at a depth of 137 kilometres but said it did not generate a tsunami. The epicentre was located at 6.06 degrees south latitude and 130.47 degrees east longitude, about 231 kilometres northwest of the Tanimbar waters. ‘The earthquake with a depth of 153 kilometres and no tsunami potential,’ BMKG’s official account stated. As of this report, local authorities had not reported any damage to buildings or casualties related to the earthquake in the Tanimbar waters.