Powerful shallow quake strikes off eastern Indonesia

JAKARTA -- A shallow undersea quake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale jolted North Maluku province in eastern Indonesia earlier Wednesday, the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said.

"We did not issue tsunami warning. Tremor was felt strong in same places and no damage or casualty has been reported," an official of the agency told Xinhua over the phone.

The quake struck at 05:12 a.m. Jakarta time (22:12 GMT Tuesday) and the epicenter, with a depth of 10 km under seabed, was determined some 115 km northwest of Halmahera Barat regency.

The quake was felt at 3 to 4 MMI (Modified Mercally Intensity) in Ternate of North Maluku province and Bitung of North Sulawesi province, and 2 to 3 MMI in Manado city, the provincial capital.

Indonesia is prone to quake as it sits on a vulnerable quake- hit zone so called "the Pacific Ring of Fire."