Indonesia’s geophysics agency has issued a tsunami warning, after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck in the Moloccan Sea to the country’s east. The figure was later downgraded to 7.0
The quake struck shortly after 10 PM local time on Sunday, at a depth of 36km, the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics reported. The earthquake’s epicenter lies 180km southeast of Manado, a city with a population of 450,000, and 129km west of Ternate, home to 200,000.
The United States Geological Survey put the quake’s magnitude at 6.9, and its depth at 25km. The earthquake was followed by several lesser-magnitude aftershocks.
There have been no reports of damages or victims.
Indonesia is prone to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis, owing to its position on the edge of the Pacific Ring of Fire. A 5.2 magnitude quake shook the seabed to the country’s southeast on Friday night, while several more minor quakes hit the country earlier that day. Most earthquakes deal little damage, but a devastating tremor that hit Palu on the island of Sulawesi last September killed more than 4,000 people.
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