A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake followed by aftershocks shook Bali and other Indonesian islands on Tuesday morning, the US Geological Institute (USGS) said, prompting the evacuation of tourists but causing no major damage.
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The earthquake struck at a great depth, about 515 kilometers, in the sea northeast of Bali at 3:55 a.m. local time (Monday 19:55 GMT), according to the institute, which ruled out the possibility of a tsunami.
The tremors were felt across Bali and on the nearby islands of Lombok and Sumbawa.
“When the first earthquake came, I woke my husband. A second incident happened shortly after, so we immediately took our children outside,” said Ardylla Yuliacitra, a 31-year-old resident of the tourist island.
“The first tremor shook me like a boat and the second shook my house,” she added.
Two aftershocks of magnitude 5.4 and 5.6 were recorded by the USGS.
Hotels evacuated guests and staff patrolled beaches for fear of a possible tsunami.
“We comforted the customers, we provided water and towels for the evacuees,” said Nimas Ayu, spokesman for the Artotel hotel in the east of the island of Bali.
The authorities initially reported no damage.
“Our teams are assessing the situation and gathering information from local residents,” the Civil Protection Agency said in a statement.
Due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates collide, Indonesia is subject to frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
On November 21, a 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck West Java province, killing more than 600 people.
An earthquake off Sumatra in western Indonesia on December 26, 2004 killed more than 230,000 people as far away as Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. With a magnitude of 9.1, it caused gigantic waves up to 30 meters high on the coast of Banda Aceh in northern Sumatra.