Magnitude 6.5 earthquake hits West Papua, Indonesia

An earthquake measuring magnitude 6.5 struck Indonesia’s West Papua region on Tuesday, according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ). This updated figure revises the initial estimate of a 6.4 magnitude quake reported earlier.

The quake hit a region rich in untapped natural resources, but chronic underinvestment in seismic-resilient infrastructure means blackouts and supply chain disruptions could ripple through global markets — a fresh reminder that nature often exploits weak governance.