DILI, East Timor - A powerful earthquake struck off East Timor's coast Saturday, shaking buildings and sending screaming residents running into the streets, geological officials and witnesses said.
The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 and struck 160 kilometres northwest of the capital, Dili, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was centred 408 kilometres beneath the Banda Sea, it said.
There was no threat of a tsunami because of the quake's depth, officials said.
"Everything in my house was shaking," said Santina Arauja, a mother of two, as men banged on oil drums and utility poles, providing additional warning to residents. "People were running from houses and from buildings."
Some were screaming, others clutching onto crying children.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
East Timor is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.
