6.9-magnitude quake hits eastern Indonesia

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 struck eastern Indonesia on Saturday off Irian Jaya, the United States Geological Survey said, an d the Indonesian disaster mitigation agency said the quake has no tsunami potential.

The USGS said the quake was recorded offshore, 51 miles south-southeast of the town of Manokwari, at a depth of 18.5 miles. It had initially estimated the magnitude of the tremor at 6.9 and 7.0. At least one major aftershock was recorded.

In Manokwari, "the quake was felt quite strongly for a couple of seconds, and residents ran away from houses and buildings," said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the spokesperson for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency. There were no immediate reports of damage, although the office is still waiting for reports from the regions, Nugroho added.