6.7-magnitude quake strikes off eastern Indonesia, no tsunami alert issued

JAKARTA - An 6.7-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia's eastern Maluku province on Wednesday with no potential for tsunami, the meteorology and geophysics agency said.

The quake struck at 14: 33 pm Jakarta time (0733 GMT), with the epicenter at 56 km northwest Maluku Tenggara Barat district and depth at 28 km under the sea bed, official in charge at the agency Alfar Abubakar said.

"The tremors were felt strongly and triggered panic," he told Xinhua by phone, adding that many residents rushed outside their houses.

There were no reports of damages or casualty reached by disaster agency officials so far, spokesman of National Disaster Management Agency Agus Wibowo told Xinhua in a text message.

No tsunami warning was issued.

The intensity of the quake was felt at IV Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MMI) in Saumlaki, at II MMI in the city Tual of Maluku province and Kaimana of nearby West Papua province, he said.

Indonesia has been frequently stricken by earthquakes as it lies on a vulnerable quake-hit zone called "the Pacific Ring of Fire."