09 January 2023 , 18:13
848
0
Indonesia has issued a tsunami warning after a 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit the Banda Sea.
The earthquake struck in the early hours of Tuesday morning, and tremors were felt as far away as Australia.
Seismologists said the quake was centered in the Banda Sea, about 368 km (229 miles) northeast of East Timor - also known as Timor-Leste.
It struck about 95km below the seabed, Indonesia's seismological agency BMKG said.
Details about damage or casualties caused by the earthquake - which was initially estimated to have a magnitude of 7.9 - are not available yet.
Tiger attacks two people in five days as soldiers called in to hunt down big cat
The quake was so strong that people living in Darwin, the capital of Australia's Northern Territory, said they could feel shaking.
BMKG issued tsunami warnings for nearby islands and urged communities in several districts to evacuate to higher ground.
Other countries in the region have not issued a tsunami warning following the quake.
However, the Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre said there is no tsunami threat to the Australian mainland, islands or territories.
Indonesia is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region prone to earthquakes.
Tsunami warnings have been issued in Indonesia (Getty)In 2004, a massive earthquake measuring 9.1 on the Richter scale struck off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.
The epicentre was 30 kilometres under the seabed and approximately 250 kilometres south to the south-west of Banda Aceh.
Regions near the earthquake's epicentre have been issued a tsunami warning (Getty)Within 15 minutes of the earthquake, waves began striking the coasts of northern Sumatra and the Nicobar islands.
Waves of up to 30 metres were recorded as the tsunami swept through Aceh, the hardest hit region of Indonesia.