New Delhi: The Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWMS) has issued tsunami warning for the region on Friday after 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of East Timor. The quake struck at a depth of 51.4 km (32 miles) off the eastern tip of Timor Island, which is split between East Timor and Indonesia, said the US Geological Survey, according to the news agency AFP. No damages have been reported as of now.
The Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System was set up to provide warning to inhabitants of nations bordering the Indian Ocean of approaching tsunamis.
The USGS said the quake struck at a depth of 51.4 km (32 miles) off the eastern tip of Timor Island, which is split between East Timor and Indonesia.
A journalist with the agency in the East Timor capital Dili felt the earthquake, but said it was "very quick". "People went about their activities as usual," the journalist added. Meanwhile, the tsunami advisory group which issued the warning said the quake "may be capable of generating a tsunami affecting the Indian Ocean region".
Where's the island located?
East Timor and Indonesia are located on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of powerful seismic activity that stretches through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.
In February, a 6.2-magnitude quake struck Indonesia's North Sumatra leaving a dozen of people dead. In 2004, a 9.1-magnitude quake hit the coast of Sumatra triggering a tsunami that killed 220,000 people throughout the region, including about 170,000 in Indonesia, according to the AFP report.
Considered as the Southeast Asia's youngest country, East Timor has a population of 1.3 million. It has recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of its independence from Indonesia.