7-magnitude earthquake strikes eastern Indonesia

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 01:36:12 GMT By : dpa

Jakarta -

An earthquake measuring 7 on the Richter scale struck the eastern Indonesian islands Sunday morning in North Maluku province, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, meteorologists said.

The quake took place at a depth of 56 kilometres, about 132 kilometres south-east of Labuha in North Maluku province, or about 2,430 kilometres north-east of Jakarta. It occurred at 7:57 am Jakarta time (0057 GMT), the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) said.

The BMG said the quake did not trigger a tsunami.

It was the latest in a series earthquakes to jolt Indonesia in recent weeks. On Saturday, a moderate 6-magnitude quake jolted Manokwari in West Papua province, though it triggered no casualties or damage.

A 7.6-magnitude quake struck in late September off the western coast of Sumatra, killing thousands and leaving hundreds injured.

A massive 9-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami struck five years ago, leaving more than 170,000 people dead or missing in Indonesia's Aceh province on the northern end of Sumatra and 500,000 people homeless.

7.0 magnitude tremor jolts Indonesia

Press TV, Sun, 14 Mar 2010 01:46:15 GMT

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 has rocked eastern parts of Indonesia.

The earthquake occurred at 7:57 a.m. local time (0057 GMT) with the epicenter located 132 kilometers (82 miles) southeast of Labuha in North Maluku province, at a depth of 56 kilometers, Xinhua quoted the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency as saying.

However, the US Geological Survey reported that it was a 6.5 magnitude quake, Xinhua said.

The quake came on the heels of a moderate tremor that struck the country's Palau region on Saturday morning.

The 5.9-magnitude earthquake was centered about 361 kilometers (224 miles) north-northwest of Manokwari, a city in the Pacific nation's West Papua province, according to the US Geological Survey.

No tsunami warnings were issued following the earthquake, and there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties in the Saturday quake, which was initially reported as a 6.2 magnitude tremor.

MRS/HGL

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