Major earthquakes off Indonesian island

JAKARTA, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Two major offshore earthquakes rattled the north coast of Papua, Indonesia, early Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

At least three people were killed, The Times of London reported.

The first quake, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, struck just before 5 a.m. local time. The epicenter was 95 miles west-northwest of Manokwari on Papua and 1,830 miles east of Jakarta.

Less than three hours later, at 7:33 a.m., the area was rocked by a 7.3 magnitude quake. The epicenter of the second quake was 55 miles west-northwest of Manokwari in Papua and 1,870 miles east of Jakarta.

Residents of Manokwari left their homes after the first quake, fearing a tsunami, the Times reported. Part of the Mutiara Hotel in the city came down.

One of the dead was a 10-year-old girl crushed by a falling building, a hospital official said.

On Dec. 26, 2004, one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The quake triggered a tsunami that killed thousands of people in countries bordering the Indian Ocean.

Sunday's quakes were big enough to cause a tsunami. However, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said no large waves had been detected, CNN reported.

The Jakarta News said that a tsunami warning was posted and then withdrawn an hour later.