Strong earthquake hits Indonesia

A strong earthquake with a 6.3 magnitude struck eastern Indonesia on Tuesday, causing some damage to houses.

“There was damage and it is still being monitored,” Mochammad Riyadi, an official at Indonesia’s meteorology and geophysics agency said.

The earthquake was one of five tremors that rattled Maluku province within 30 minutes, according to the reports. The others were all under magnitude 6.



"People panicked and scattered out of houses and buildings,” said national disaster mitigation agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.