Strong earthquake shakes eastern Indonesia; no casualties

JAKARTA, Indonesia – A powerful undersea earthquake shook eastern Indonesia on Thursday, causing panic but no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The 6.7 magnitude quake at a depth of 107 kilometres (66 miles) rattled North Halmahera district in North Maluku province. It was centred 89 kilometres (55 miles) northeast of the coastal town of Tobelo. There was no danger of a tsunami, authorities said.

“People were running from their houses,” said North Halmahera Disaster Mitigation Agency official Pius Ohoiwutun.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago of 260 million people, is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.