Tsunami warning issued after magnitude 7.6 earthquake hits off coast of Indonesia

A massive earthquake, measuring magnitude 7.6 on the Richter scale, struck 95km north of Maumere in Indonesia on Tuesday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. The quake struck 112 kilometers (69 miles) north of Maumere, on Indonesia's Flores Island.

According to the Reuters news agency, Indonesia's meteorological department issued a tsunami warning soon after the quake, which the country's authorities estimate at magnitude 7.5, struck its region of East Nusa Tenggara. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre, on the other hand, estimated the magnitude at 7.7, placing the earthquake at a depth of 5km.

Based on the preliminary earthquake parameters, the US-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said, "Hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of the earthquake epicenter."

An earthquake with a magnitude above 7.0 is considered a 'major earthquake' which can cause 'serious damage.' Indonesia is prone to earthquakes because of its position on the 'Ring of Fire', an arc of volcanoes and fault lines lying in the basin of the Pacific Ocean.

(With Reuters Input)