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Quake strikes off east Indonesia

Indonesia lifted a brief tsunami warning after a strong earthquake hit off the eastern island of Sumbawa, officials said.

The warning was lifted less than an hour after it was issued and no tsunami was recorded on the island, the meteorology office in Jakarta said.

"We have immediately made checks with the sensors nearest to the area hit by the quake," an official said. "After about one hour passed without any signs of changing sea levels, we declared the tsunami warning cancelled," he said.

"There is nothing indicating that a tsunami has taken place," the official said.

The office put the quake's magnitude at 6.5, while the US Geological Survey measured it at 5.5. It struck about 160km southeast of Raba, at a depth of 19km under the sea floor.

The quake sparked panic in towns across Sumbawa island, with people flooding into the streets, but residents and police said there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

"People were screaming and running out of their homes," said Indra, a bank employee in the harbor town of Sape.

"It was felt strongly, and caused people to panic," said Iwan, a journalist for a local newspaper, who added that he had not seen any damage in the island's main town of Raba.

A police officer on duty in the town of Dompu, about 40km west of Raba, said no damage or casualties had been reported there.

A telephone operator in Bali said the jolt also was felt on the Indonesian resort island. The operator, whose switchboard covers the Raba area, said telephone services between Bali and Raba appeared to be cut off.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where continental plates meet, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

It was the nation worst hit by the earthquake-triggered Asian tsunami in December 2004, which killed some 168,000 people in Aceh province alone.
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