A 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Banda Sea off the east of Indonesia more than 300 km from the coasts, according to the US Geological Survey today, Wednesday, November 8, 2023.

The institute explained that the earthquake, initially reported as having a magnitude of 6.9, occurred at 11:53 (04:53 GMT) at a depth of 10 km and more than 340 km from the nearest point on land, and no tsunami warnings were issued as a result.

The residents of the town of Saumlaki in the Tanimbar Islands of Indonesia felt the earthquake, according to the local meteorological, climatic, and geophysical monitoring agency.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also stated that there is no threat of a tsunami as a result of the earthquake.

Indonesia is frequently exposed to earthquakes due to its location on the "Ring of Fire," an area with active earthquakes and volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean.

In November 2022, a 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck the densely populated West Java province, causing more than 600 deaths.

A major earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra on December 26, 2004, caused an Indian Ocean tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in several countries, chiefly Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand.