Magnitude 5.2 Quake Jolts Maluku

Ambon (Antara) - A magnitude 5.2 earthquake rocked Maluku Barat Daya district in the eastern Indonesian province of Maluku on Thursday, according to the local office of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG). The epicenter of the quake which struck at 04.05 p.m. local time was in the sea about 233 km northeast of the district at a depth of 10 km, the office said. Secretary of the Maluku Provincial Disaster Mitigation Board (BPBD) Kifly Wakanno said he was still coordinating with the district's disaster mitigation office to see if the quake caused material damage. Maluku is one of quake-and tsunami-prone provinces in Indonesia as it is located in the meeting point of Pacific, Indo Australia, and Eurasia plates. (*)