Strong quake rattles Papua

JAKARTA: An earthquake measuring 5.7 in magnitude rocked a remote region in Papua province on Wednesday, causing residents to flee their homes in panic.

There were no immediate reports of damage or of casualties as a result of the quake, which was centered around 90 kilometers south of the town of Nabire, said Nugroho, from the Jakarta office of the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency.

Nabire is situated on the northern coast of Papua, 3,200 kilometers northeast of Jakarta. The province, formerly known as Irian Jaya, occupies the western half of the island of New Guinea.

People in the town said the initial quake was followed by at least two smaller ones.

"We all poured into the streets when the first one struck," said an employee at a telecommunications office who identified herself only as Ria.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelagic nation, is prone to seismic activities because of its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire."

In October, an earthquake registering 6.4 in magnitude killed three people and injured more than 170 in Manokwari, about 300 kilometers northwest of Nabire. --AP