Earthquake of 7.1 magnitude off Indonesia's Ambon island - USGS

An earthquake of magnitude 7.1 struck 174 km (108 miles) southeast of Indonesia's eastern island of Ambon on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties in the quake, which the USGS initially said was 7 magnitude and which occurred at a depth of 75 km (47 miles).

Earlier a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia on, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, but no tsunami warning was issued and no immediate damage or casualties were reported. The undersea quake was recorded at a depth of 67 kilometres near Indonesia's Babar islands, according to USGS. The quake was felt in Saumlaki, the closest city to the epicentre, a local geophysics station officer said. "We felt the quake for about 25 seconds, and it felt like a truck went past in front of the house," an officer at the geophysics station, Alva Rottie, told AFP.

The tremor prompted some residents to run outside, but the National Disaster Management Agency said the quake had no tsunami potential. Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

With agency inputs