Powerful 5.7-magnitude earthquake strikes in sea off Indonesia

A powerful earthquake measuring 5.7 magnitude has struck the Halmahera Sea in Indonesia on Monday, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said.

The quake was at a depth of 6.21 miles, the GFZ said, and took place at around 1:30pm local time (7:30am UK time) around 26 miles off the coast of Obi Island. 

According to Indonesia’s meteorology office BMKG, the 5.7 magnitude earthquake is the fourth to hit the nation today alone, with the first quake of the day, which was registered as 5.6 magnitude, taking place at 10:24am local time. 

Indonesia is sat on the meeting point between the Pacific, Eurasian and Indo-Australian tectonic plates, making it a hotbed for earthquakes. 

As a result of the complex interactions between the tectonic plates, the country faces around three quakes a day. 

Indonesia is sat on the meeting point between the Pacific, Eurasian and Indo-Australian tectonic plates, making it a hotbed for earthquakes (File image of Halmahera Sea)

While Indonesia’s archipelago structure means that often these quakes take place at sea, leading to little harm, they can be devastating when they hit populated land. 

Last month, an earthquake measuring 5.1 magnitude that hit West Java left two dead and nearly 160 injured after it destroyed homes and businesses. 

The two who died were children – while one passed away due to injuries sustained by falling debris, the other had a seizure. 

Hundreds were forced to evacuate their homes, after 784 homes collapsed, while more than 5,500 buildings were damaged. 

In total, the earthquake caused more than £19million in damage to the region.