Indonesia issues tsunami alert after 6.6-magnitude quake

JAKARTA (AFP) - Indonesian authorities issued a tsunami warning Thursday for the province of North Maluku after a 6.6-magnitude quake hit the area, a meteorology official said.

The earthquake was centered 57 kilometres (35 miles) under the seabed some 234 kilometres northwest of the town of Ternate, the capital of North Maluku, at 1:40 pm (0540 GMT), said the official, who identified himself as Jabar.

"Judging from the magnitude, there is a potential that a tsunami might develop," he told AFP.

Local ElShinta radio reported that residents panicked and rushed out of buildings in Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi, but there was no damage or victims immediately apparent.

A meteorological official told the station that they would wait 30 minutes before calling off the warning if no tsunami hit.

Indonesia was the nation worst hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which left 168,000 people in westernmost Aceh province dead.