Earthquake rocks Indonesian island

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake on Thursday killed at least 23 people in Ambon. The disaster left more than 100 people injured on the small Indonesian island. The majority of the casualties resulted from collapsed buildings.

How many people were affected? Ambon, home to about 400,000 people, serves as the capital of Maluku province, a chain of islands in central Indonesia between the larger islands of Papua and Sulawesi. Authorities said about 15,000 residents turned up at temporary shelters after the quake. Many who feared a tsunami scrambled for higher ground. Rahmat Triyono, head of Indonesia’s earthquake and tsunami center, reassured residents the inland quake would not trigger a tsunami. Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ocean’s outer volcanic Ring of Fire and experiences frequent seismic activity.

Dig deeper: Read my report in World Tour on how earthquakes and flooding contributed to the decision to relocate the Indonesian capital.