A major earthquake that struck beneath Indonesian waters overnight has been felt as far away as Australia’s Northern Territory city of Darwin.
The magnitude-7.3 quake shook the Top End capital about 3.55 a.m. local time, or 5:30 a.m. AEDT on Thursday.
Locals were woken up by tremors which they said lasted for up to one to several minutes, with almost 2,000 felt reports lodged with Geoscience Australia (GA).
The body said there was no threat of tsunami to Australia’s mainland, islands, or territories.
The epicentre of the quake was about 250 kilometres northeast of Dili and 50 kilometres east of Indonesia’s Maluku islands in the Banda Sea.
Meanwhile, independent meteorologist Karl Lịinders said the quake’s duration “was really quite unusual for this part of the world.”
“It just kept going, and going, and going, the swaying and the rocking and the rolling,” he told ABC radio on Thursday.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner agreed, commenting on Twitter: “It was certainly one of the biggest we’ve experienced in the Territory in a while.”
A number of residents said they heard a rumbling sound, while others reported that some buildings in the city and northern suburbs have been shaking.
“The ground just shook for a full minute in Darwin. Nothing like a possible 4am earthquake to remind you 2021 isn’t done with us yet,” another Twitter user suggested.
Olympic gold medallist Nova Peris posted on social media: “Darwin Earthquake! Holy Moly, that was a strong one!”
There are no reports of injuries and damages at this stage.
Last year, some buildings in the Darwin CBD were evacuated after a magnitude-7.2 quake struck in the Banda Sea.
