BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Powerful earthquake hits Indonesia

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Friday, 11 October, 2002, 10:54 GMT 11:54 UK

At least three people have died in a powerful earthquake in the eastern Indonesian province of Papua.

The tremors caused flooding, landslides and widespread damage.

Monitors put the strength of the quake at between 6.4 and 7.1 on the Richter scale.

The epicentre was under the sea, south of the coastal town of Manokwari.

A police official in the town said that disrupted communications made it difficult to assess the situation.

Last month, three people died when a quake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale hit neighbouring Papua New Guinea.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service