Magnitude 7.7 quake hits Indonesia’s Maluku

By Mahmut Atanur

JAKARTA (AA) - An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 struck off Indonesia’s Maluku province on Monday, according to the country's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG).

The agency did not issue a tsunami alert, and there were no immediate reports of damage.

The temblor, according to the agency, was centered 231 kilometers (143 miles) below the earth’s surface, 245 kilometers (152 miles) northeast of Maluku.

The U.S. Geological Survey put the magnitude at 7.3.

In September, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake triggered tsunami in Palu, killing 4,340.

The epicenter of the tremor was located in the southeast of Sulawesi Island, with a depth of 10 kilometers (six miles).