POWERFUL EARTHQUAKES HIT WEST PAPUA

Jakarta, Jan. 4 (ANTARA) - A powerful earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter Scale hit southwest of Manokwari, West Papua Province, on Sunday at 5.33 am Western Indonesian Time (WIB).

Earlier at 2.33 am WIB on Sunday, a 7.9 magnitude temblor rocked Manokwari, according to information of the national meteorological and geophysics office (BMG), here on Sunday.
The epicenter of the 7.6-magnitude earthquake was located at 0.88 degrees southern latitude and 133.38 degrees eastern longitude, 76 km southwest of Manokwari, at a depth of 10 km below sea level.
Papua or Irian Island was hit by a series of earthquakes on Sunday morning.
According to information on the BMG's website, the eastern most Indonesian island was jolted by 19 temblors with magnitude ranging from 5.0 to 7.9 on the Richter scale, on Sunday, up to 9.30 am WIB.
The earthquakes affected Manokwari and Sorong, West Papua Province, and Biak, Papua Province.
The 7.6-magnitude earthquake was felt at the II -III MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) in Sorong, and IV-V MMI in Manokwari.
The first earthquake occurring in the wee hours of Sunday was felt at V-VI MMI in Sorong and Manokwari, and IV-V MMI in Ransiki, also West Papua.
Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, sits on the Pacific
"Ring of Fire," the edge of a tectonic plate prone to seismic
upheaval.