Powerfull earthquake hits Maluku

JAKARTA (JP): At least 25 people were injured, nine seriously, when an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale, shook Maluku province yesterday.

Several houses were also damaged.

The Jakarta Meteorology and Geophysics Agency announced yesterday that the quake hit the area at 4:44 a.m. local time and its epicenter was the Straits of Obi, 220 kilometers south of Ternate, North Maluku regency, 35 kilometers below the sea.

Meanwhile the head of the Meteorology and Geophysics station in Ambon, Hendri Subakti, told the Antara news agency yesterday that the earthquake, which lasted two minutes and was followed by aftershocks, was too strong to be recorded by his station.

Hendri said that his station was collecting information about the damage caused and whether the natural disaster was followed by a tsunami.