Powerful quake strikes off eastern Indonesia, no tsunami alert issued

A shallow and strong earthquake jolted eastern Indonesia early Monday, with no potential for tsunami, the meteorology and geophysics agency disclosed.

The quake struck at 12:27 a.m. Monday Jakarta Time (1727 GMT Sunday), with the epicenter at 146 km northwest Halmahera of North Maluku province and the shallow at 10 km under sea bed, an official with the agency, Yusuf Khaidar Ali, said.

“However, we did not issue a warning for tsunami for this quake,” he told Xinhua over phone.

The intensity of the quake was only felt 3 MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) in the province and Bitung of nearby North Sulawesi province, the official said.

Indonesia is prone to quakes as it lies on a vulnerable quake-hit zone called “the Pacific Ring of Fire.”