Strong earthquake strikes Indonesia’s Maluku Islands

By Ainur Rohmah

JAKARTA

A strong 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck off the coat of eastern Indonesia, causing residents of the Maluku Islands to panic and rush from their homes Wednesday evening, according to local media.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson said in a statement said the epicenter was shallow and the tremors were “felt strongly in Ambon [island], Banda, and Central Maluku for three to five seconds."

"The earthquake did not cause tsunami," Detik.com reported him as saying. "People panicked and scrambled out of the house and [ran] onto the road."

The earthquake occurred at 17.21 p.m. (1021GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) in the Banda Sea, 159 kilometers southeast of Ambon.

No damage or casualties have been reported.

Local disaster management agencies are still investigating the impacted area.

Indonesia lies within the Pacific’s "Ring of Fire," where tectonic plates collide and cause frequent seismic and volcanic activity.