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5.5-magnitude quake jolts east Indonesia

12 February 2012 04:53 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale has struck off eastern Indonesia but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, APA reports quoting Press TV.

The government-run Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said that the tremor hit at 2:06 p.m. local time (0706 GMT) on Saturday, with an epicenter 132 kilometers (81 miles) southwest of Halmahera Selatan regency of North Maluku province. It struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles) under the seabed.

Indonesia is vulnerable to earthquakes since it is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region known for its seismic and volcanic activity caused by friction between shifting tectonic plates.