Magnitude-6 quake strikes off Bali; no tsunami alert

A powerful earthquake hit waters off Indonesia's resort island of Bali at 11.16am (Singapore time), causing widespread panic and injuring at least 50 people, many with broken bones and head wounds, as people fled homes and hotels. But no casualties have yet been reported, and no tsunami alert was issued.



At least 50 people were hurt on the island, many with cuts, broken bones and head wounds, said hospital spokesman Wayan Sudanti.

The patients included 12 students and three teachers injured when the ceiling of their high school caved in, said I Gede Tejo from the local disaster agency.

The police headquarters in Denpasar were evacuated following the earthquake, though all staff have since returned to the buildings.

The US Geological Survey put the preliminary magnitude of the quake at 6.0 and said it was centred 100km southwest of the island, and struck 60km beneath the ocean floor.

Indonesia's geological agency BMKG put the quake's magnitude at 6.8, though the reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear. The local agency said it struck about 143km southwest of the resort town of Nusa Dua, and was just 10km deep, making it a shallow earthquake.

ORIGINAL SOURCE

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