At least 62 people were injured and 200 houses damaged in Thursday evening's earthquake that hit Papua in easternmost Indonesia, a spokesman of the country's national disaster management agency told Xinhua on Friday.

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Among the injured, 17 are in serious conditions, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the spokesman, told Xinhua over the phone.

The number of victims and the size of damage are expected, he said.

The earthquake, measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale jolted West Papua, also forced panic evacuation of some locals and tents are needed to shelter those whose houses were damaged, Sutopo said.

The intensity of the quake, with a depth of 10 km under the sea was, felt at 4 to 5 MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) at Sorong town, 3 to 4 MMI at Rajaampat town and 2 to 4 MMI at Manokwari town, he said.

However, no trace of tsunami has been monitored, said an official of the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency.

Indonesia is prone to earthquakes as it sits on a vulnerable quake-hit zone called "The Pacific Ring of Fire."

Source: Xinhuanet