7.3 quake hits Indonesian waters
A 7.3-magnitude quake has hit Indonesian waters and the Pacific Tsunami Warnings Centre says it has the potential to generate hazardous tsunami waves along nearby coasts.
The US Geological Survey said the quake hit 96 miles north west of Kota Ternate at a depth of 29 miles.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said the quake could cause tsunami waves within 186 miles of the epicentre along the nearby coasts of Indonesia and the southern Philippines. Waves could reach up to 3ft, it said.
The nearest communities of Tabukan Tengah on North Sulawesi island could be at risk within an hour if a tsunami occurs, the agency said.
The world’s largest archipelago, Indonesia is prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.
In 2004, a huge quake off Aceh triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries. Most of the deaths were in Aceh.
