Magnitude 6.1 Quake Rattles Indonesia*

Tuesday May 29, 2007 2:46 PM

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - A powerful undersea earthquake and a series of
aftershocks rattled eastern Indonesia on Tuesday, the U.S. Geological
Survey said, damaging buildings in one town and causing panicked
residents to flee their homes.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the magnitude
6.0 quake. The local meteorological and geological agency said no
tsunami was expected.

Power supplies were cut for about two hours in Labuha, the closest
coastal town to the epicenter, said Hendrik Leopatty, an official with
the Indonesian Meteorological and Geophysics Agency.

Witnesses said several houses sustained cracks but there were no report
of injuries. Labuha residents fled to the hills fearing a tsunami but
later returned.

The tremor struck in the Maluku Sea, 135 miles from Ternate, the main
city on Maluku island and 1,460 miles from the capital, Jakarta.

Leopatty said the quake lasted around six seconds. It was followed by at
least three aftershocks, the USGS said.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval
due to its location on the so-called Pacific ``Ring of Fire,'' an arc of
volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.