BALI, August 5 (RIA Novosti) - Two earthquakes of 5.0 magnitude each struck off the eastern coast of Indonesia on early Monday, Indonesian seismologists reported.
According to the country’s Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics, the first earthquake’s epicenter was registered at the depth of 83 kilometers (52 miles) to the northwest of the North Maluku province and the second earthquake was registered to the southwest of the West Papua province at the depth of 12 kilometers (7.5 miles).
There were no reports on casualties or any damages to the infrastructure. Meteorologists did not issue tsunami warnings after both earthquakes.
Indonesia is notorious for its high volcanic and seismic activity, as it sits on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates meet.
In 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck the eastern coast of Sumatra, causing a tsunami that hit the coasts of Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia. It is unclear exactly how many perished in that natural disaster, but the closest estimates are at 230,000 victims.
