Earthquake: 6.5 magnitude quake shakes eastern Indonesia , no tsunami risk

Jakarta, Sep 26: A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.5 on richter scale hit the island of Seram in Indonesia's eastern province of Maluku on Thursday. Meanwhile aftershocks sent people streaming outdoors as further damage was being assessed.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the magnitude 6.5 quake was centered 37 kilometres (23 miles) northeast of Ambon, the capital of Maluku province, at a depth of 29 kilometres (18 miles).

The quake, initially measured at a magnitude of 6.8, was felt in towns such as Ambon and Kairatu, waking some residents.

Indonesia sits on the Ring of Fire, the major fault line where the majority of the world's earthquakes occur.

There has been increasing activity along the Ring of Fire in recent weeks, with California also experiencing a seismic swarm of more than 200 tremors in the last few weeks.

The worst was a 7.1 magnitude quake in Ridgecrest which struck on July 5.