Indonesia lifts tsunami warning after weekend quake, no damage reported

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JAKARTA: There were no reports on Monday of major damage in Indonesia from a weekend earthquake of magnitude 6.9 off the northeastern coast of the island of Sulawesi, and authorities lifted a tsunami warning.

The quake, late on Sunday, struck out at sea at a depth of 36 km (22 miles) with several smaller aftershocks, geophysics agency BMKG said.

Tremors shook buildings, alarming residents of some cities and authorities urged people to move to higher ground.

“The quake was felt quite strong and with an intensity that lasted quite long,” said Yusuf Latif, a spokesman for the search and rescue agency.

“There were no reports of damage or casualties in Ternate,” he added, referring to the city closest to the epicenter.

But some hospitals in Ternate, about 130 km (80 miles) from the epicenter, suffered minor damage and had to evacuate patients, media said.

Strong tremors were felt for a few seconds in the nearby seaside resort city of Manado, residents said, but no damage was reported.