A major 7.3 magnitude earthquake strikes eastern Indonesia off the remote Maluku islands on 14 Jul 2019, Sunday, sending panicked residents running into the streets but no tsunami warning was issued.
According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake struck about 165 km south-southwest of the town of Ternate in North Maluku province at 6:28 pm local time (0928 GMT) at a depth of 10km.
“The earthquake was quite strong, sending residents to flee outside, they are panicking and many are now waiting on the roadside,” said the local disaster mitigation official named Mansur.
Officials were assessing the situation but there were no immediate reports of casualties, Mansur, he told AFP.
The province was also hit by a 6.9 magnitude tremor last week.
Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where tectonic plates collide.
Back in 26 Dec 2004, the coast of Sumatra was struck by a devastating 9.1-9.3 magnitude earthquake that triggered a tsunami (also known as the Boxing Day Tsunami). The resulting tsunami killed an estimated 227,898 people in 14 countries.
