2009 Papua earthquakes
The 2009 Papua earthquakes occurred on January 4 local time in Indonesia's West Papua province. The very large earthquake doublet comprised a magnitude 7.6 initial shock that had a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI and a second very large event that had a moment magnitude of 7.4 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII. 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.
An official of World Vision International, a humanitarian aid organization, said ten buildings had been totally 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. There have been 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.
