Undersea 5.7 earthquake shakes part of eastern Indonesia

A shallow undersea earthquake shook part of eastern Indonesia on Thursday, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the 5.7-magnitude quake struck about 65 kilometers (40 miles) off Amahai, a coastal village on Seram island in North Maluku province. It said the quake was centered about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) beneath the sea.

The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency said the quake was unlikely to trigger a tsunami.

With around 1 million people, North Maluku is one of Indonesia's least populous provinces.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago of 270 million people, is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines that arcs the Pacific.

The last major earthquake was in January when a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed at least 105 people and injured nearly 6,500 in West Sulawesi province.

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