Asia-Pacific News

6.1 magnitude quake jolts eastern Indonesia

Jun 8, 2008, 2:12 GMT

Jakarta - An earthquake registering 6.1 on the Richter scale struck the eastern Indonesian islands Sunday morning, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damages, the Indonesian seismological agency said.

The quake struck at 5:23 am Jakarta time (2223 GMT Saturday) with an epicentre was about 68 kilometres north-east of Ruteng, a district town on Flores island, said officials at Indonesia's National Meteorology and Geophysics Agency.

The officials said that the quake occurred about 48 kilometres beneath the seabed but with no tsunami potential, and there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago nation, sits atop the Pacific Ocean's Ring of Fire, where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.