A strong undersea earthquake hit North Maluku province in eastern Indonesia on Thursday, triggering panic among frightened residents and a brief tsunami warning. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties after the quake, which the US Geological Survey put at magnitude 6.7 and the epicentre at a depth of 45 km. The agency had initially put the quake at magnitude 7.4 and a depth of 88 km.
"We have lifted the warning. After monitoring, there were no signs of tsunami," Fauzi, the head of the seismology centre in Indonesia's meteorology agency, told Reuters. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre also said on its Web site that it did not expect a "destructive Pacific-wide" tsunami but said quakes of this magnitude can sometimes create local tsunamis.
The quake struck at 2.40 pm, with the epicentre 234 km northwest of the provincial capital Ternate, both agencies said. (Yahoo Xtra)
