Tsunami passes from Indonesia quake: Agency

Jakarta, Feb 20: The threat of a tsunami from a strong earthquake that struck off Indonesia's eastern Moluccas islands today has passed, Indonesia's meteorology agency said.

It had earlier reported that the quake, which it said measured 6.6 on the Richter scale with an epicentre 45 km southwest of Labuha in North Maluku province, might cause a tsunami.

But National Quake Centre chief Suharjono told Reuters, ''At 1414 hrs we passed the information... that the tsunami threat was over.'' The quake occurred at 3.04 pm Jakarta time.

Joko Sumariono, a meteorology official in Labuha town, told Reuters: ''The quake was not felt strongly here but people are panicking because there was a tsunami warning. Residents are fleeing from their houses to higher ground.'' ''So far there are no reports of damage or casualties,'' he added, confirming what officials in Jakarta had said.

The US Geological Survey initially put the quake's magnitude at 6.9, then revised it to 6.5. It put the depth at 31 km, according to a bulletin on its Web site.

Indonesia lies along the so-called Pacific ''Ring of Fire'' where the collision of continental plates brings frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

A quake in the Indian Ocean off Sumatra island in December 2004 and the tsunami it caused left about 170,000 people dead or missing in Indonesia's northern Aceh province.

REUTERS

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