Tsunami warning in Indonesia after strong earthquake

Indonesian authorities have issued a tsunami warning after a strong earthquake struck in the Molucca Sea.
The location of the earthquake. Picture: USGSThe location of the earthquake. Picture: USGS
The location of the earthquake. Picture: USGS

The magnitude 6.9 earthquake was centred 185km (114.8 miles) southeast of Manado at a depth of 24km (15 miles), the US Geological Survey said on Sunday.

The earthquake caused panic in the city of Ternate in the Maluku island chain, where people ran to higher ground, according to a witness.

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The quake reportedly hit late Sunday night in the sea between North Sulawesi and the Maluku archipelago.

A graphic posted on Twitter by Indonesia's geophysics agency predicted waves of half-a-metre (1.6ft) for parts of North Sulawesi and North Maluku.

Radio El Shinta reported that residents in Manado, North Sulawesi's provincial capital, ran from their houses in panic.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago of 260 million people, is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the Ring Of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.

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