Powerful aftershock rocks Indonesia, no tsunami alert issued

Jakarta, Nov 11: A massive aftershock measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale struck Indonesia's eastern province of Maluku on Saturday, but did not cause a tsunami, the country's meteorology bureau said.

The aftershock with its epicentre on the seabed, jolted the province at 3.45 a.m., Xinhua news agency quoted the bureau as saying.

The epicenter was at 249 km northwest of Maluku Tenggara Barat (Tanimbar Islands) district with a depth of 10 km, according to the bureau.

Three more moderate aftershocks were also recorded with magnitudes of 5.3 and 5.2, the meteorology bureau said, citing that several other quakes with weak strength have also occurred since midnight.

The officials of the agency did not issue a tsunami warning as the tremors did not have the potential to trigger giant waves.

A powerful 7.1-magnitude main shock jolted off Maluku province on Wednesday, yet it did not trigger giant waves or cause damages or casualties.

Having situated on a vulnerable quake-stricken zone, called the Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia, an archipelagic nation, has often been stricken by earthquakes.