6.3-magnitude earthquake hits off eastern Indonesia; no immediate reports of casualties

JAKARTA, Indonesia – A strong, shallow earthquake has rocked parts of eastern Indonesia. There have been no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake was centered 343 kilometers (212 miles) northwest of Saumlaki, a coastal town in Maluku province, on Sunday morning. It had a magnitude of 6.3 at a depth of about 9 kilometers (5.5 miles) beneath the sea.

Indonesia's earthquake agency gave a magnitude of 6.7. No tsunami warning has been issued.

Indonesia is prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.

In 2004, a monster temblor off Indonesia's Aceh shores triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries. Most of the deaths were in Aceh.