Intense quake off northeastern Indonesia on tsunami anniversary

JAKARTA, Monday (AFP) - An intense earthquake occurred Sunday in northeastern Indonesia on the six-month anniversary of a massive quake and tsunamis in the country, seismologists said.

There were no initial reports of injuries or damage.

The quake measured 5.8 on the Richter scale and occurred at 4:20 pm (0820 GMT) 122 kilometres (76 miles) east of Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province, the Indonesian meteorology and geophysics agency said.

Hong Kong's Observatory estimated the quake's intensity at 5.5 on the Richter scale and placed the epicentre near the Molucca Sea.

On December 26 the world's biggest earthquake in 40 years struck off Indonesia's westernmost province of Aceh. With a force of more than 9.0 on the Richter scale, it unleashed tsunamis which killed 220,000 people in nations around the Indian Ocean, most of them in the Aceh area.

Indonesia sits on the so-called Pacific Rim of Fire, where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity. The vast archipelago has recorded more than 4,000 subsequent quakes since the December disaster.