The earthquake was centered 118 kilometers (73 miles) west of the town of Manokwari and struck at 8:58 pm (1158 GMT) on Sunday, said an official of the Meteorology and Geophysics office in Jakarta.

Its epicentre was 57 kilometers under the surface in a sparsely-populated mountainous region. An earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale can cause considerable damage in a populated area.

In early February about 30 people were killed when a quake hit the town of Nabire in the province.

Earthquakes are common in Indonesia, which sits on the "Pacific Rim of Fire" noted for its volcanic and seismic activity.

TERRA.WIRE