2009 West Papua earthquakes

The 2009 West Papua earthquakes occurred on January 4 local time in Indonesia's Tambrauw Regency in Southwest Papua. The very large earthquake doublet comprised an initial moment magnitude 7.6 shock during which the shaking reached a maximum intensity of VI on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale and a second event measuring 7.4 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII. The events took place less than three hours apart to the east-northeast of Sorong on the Bird's Head Peninsula and left at least four people dead and dozens injured.

Earthquake

There were twenty-three aftershocks above magnitude 5.0 and another at magnitude 6.0. The earthquakes were also felt in nearby Papua New Guinea and Darwin, Australia.

Impact

An official of World Vision International, a humanitarian aid organization, said ten buildings had been destroyed, including several hotels and the house of a government official. Officials said three people, who had been staying at the Mutiara hotel in the city of Manokwari, were pulled alive from the rubble and taken to a hospital. Two hotels collapsed in the quake.