6.1-magnitude Quake Strikes Off East Timor
AFP —A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of East Timor on Friday, the US Geological Survey said, with tremors felt as far as the Australian city of Darwin, although there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
The USGS said the quake hit at a depth of 51 kilometres (32 miles) off the eastern tip of Timor island, which is split between East Timor and Indonesia.
An AFP journalist in the East Timor capital Dili felt the earthquake and said that, although it lasted only seconds, “the jolt was quite strong”.
“I saw people rushing out of their homes and children running outside of the school,” the journalist said.
The earthquake was more violent around the town of Lospalos in the east of the country, but local authorities were still assessing the situation and did not give a breakdown of the damage or possible casualties.
The quake was also felt in Darwin, Australia, which lies across the Timor Sea from the epicentre.
