Just north of Australia

A powerful earthquake struck eastern Indonesia on Wednesday, causing some residents to flee their homes, but there were no immediate reports of damage and the country’s meteorology agency ruled out the risk of a tsunami. The magnitude 6.9 quake struck in the Banda Sea, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said, and was at a depth of 117 km (73 miles). The U.S. Geological Survey gave a preliminary magnitude of 6.8. The earthquake was not capable of generating a tsunami affecting the Indian Ocean region, the Indonesia Tsunami Service Provider said.

Yesterday's quake was the second major quake of May after a magnitude 6.6 struck Greece earlier this week. The number of major quakes so far in 2020 is 40, which is 8 less than in 2019 at this point and the same number as in 2018.