Bali, Indonesia, struck by earthquake
Tourists enjoy Kuta beach on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on October 10, 2011, among tens of thousands who visitor each year.
Bali, Indonesia has been struck by a 6.1-magnitude earthquake that rattled buildings, injured dozens and caused widespread panic.
The Associated Press cites the U.S. Geological Survey as saying the quake was centered 60 miles southwest of Bali, a tourist mecca, and 21 miles beneath the ocean floor.
According to the LA Times:
Many people in the central-island artist destination of Ubud ran for the streets when the ground began shaking at 11:16 a.m. Hotels called for the evacuation of guests as cracks appeared in walls and hotel lobby windows, knocking motorcycle riders off their vehicles.
The quake, felt on neighboring Java and Lombok islands, did not trigger a tsunami.
However, Indonesia is situated on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a crescent of fault lines that makes the archipelago prone to volcanic and seismic activity.
In 2004, a 9.1-magnitude underwater earthquake off the coast of Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people in 14 countries — more than any other tsunami in history, according to the United Nations. Indonesia was among the hardest-hit nations, CNN reports.
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