7.0-magnitude quake strikes off eastern Indonesia, tsunami alert lifted

An earthquake with a magnitude of revised 7.0 jolted Indonesia's eastern North Maluku province on Sunday (July 7) evening and a tsunami warning issued right after the quake has just been lifted, the meteorology and geophysics agency said in Jakarta.

Indonesia is prone to quake as it lies on a vulnerable quake-impacted area called "the Pacific Ring of Fire."
Indonesia is prone to quake as it lies on a vulnerable quake-impacted area called "the Pacific Ring of Fire."

The quake occured at 10:08 p.m. Jakarta time (1508 GMT) with epicenter at 136 km southwest Ternate of the province and a depth at revised 49 km under sea bed, said Bayu Pranata an official at the agency. The earthquake was previously reported to be 7.1-magnitude.

"We have just ended the tsunami warning. The surface of sea water did not rise significantly," he told Xinhua over phone.

In a matter of minutes, several aftershocks followed the main shock, Pranata said.

The strongest intensity of the quake was felt at V MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) in Manado city, the capital of nearby North Sulawesi Province and Bitung town of the province.

So far, there have been no reports of casualty or those injured or serious damages caused by the quake, he cited.

Indonesia is prone to quake as it lies on a vulnerable quake-impacted area called "the Pacific Ring of Fire."

Xinhua