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Residents in Darwin shaken awake by 7.3 magnitude earthquake in East Timor

A 7.3 magnitude earthquake originating in the Banda Sea has been felt throughout Indonesia and East Timor, and as far away as Darwin.

Geoscience Australia has confirmed a 7.3 magnitude earthquake just struck in the Banda Sea, with some users in Darwin posting to social media to say they were shaken awake.

Originating just north of Timor-Leste, it’s not yet clear what kind of damage the earthquake caused, if any.

darwin city earthquake

Currently it is believed there is no tsunami threat to anywhere in Australia, and only minor damage has been reported in East Timor and Indonesia. No casualties have been reported as of yet, although a few buildings including some homes were damaged on the Indonesian island of Alor.

A representative from Indonesia’s disaster management agency shared the following, via SBS.

“Some buildings were damaged including a relatively big church just near the border and telephone lines were temporarily damaged.” 

This earthquake marks the latest and biggest in a week of earthquakes for the region. The other two clocked in at 5.7 and 4.9 in magnitude, and again, luckily no lasting damage has been done.

I think I speak for all of us when saying that 2021 did not need a horrible natural disaster to cap off the year that was.