Quake shakes Irian Jaya

JAKARTA: A powerful earthquake jolted Manokwari and the nearby towns of Biak and Sorong on Tuesday morning, but no casualties or damage were reported.

The spokesman for the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, Waan Tarmin, said the quake, measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale, was felt strongest in Manokwari.

The office said the epicenter of the quake was 100 kilometers west of Manokwari, 33 kilometers below the sea.

Antara news agency reported that residents living at the foot of Mount Arfak in Manokwari were too frightened to return to their homes, with an aftershock shaking the area 13 minutes after the initial tremor.

An earthquake jolted Manokwari in 1995. (amd)