A major 6.5-magnitude undersea earthquake rocked Indonesia's northern Sulawesi province Sunday, the country's meteorology agency said, but it added there was no risk of a tsunami despite earlier fears.
"After one hour we called the port authority in Manado and there was no rise in sea level. Therefore we cancel the possibility of tsunami taking place," said Arif from the meteorology agency in Jakarta.
The office had earlier said there was a possibility of a tsunami. The earthquake struck at 07:27 pm (1127 GMT) and was centered some 51 kilometers (31.6 miles) under the sea, 160 kilometers south-east of the North Sulawesi capital of Manado, Ari said.
The private Metro television station said the earthquake sparked panic in Manado and that some buildings had cracks in their walls.
It also said that there were some traffic accidents as people took to the streets to seek higher ground.
The Detickom online news service also reported that people were fleeing to higher ground fearing a tsunami, saying they headed mostly to the Winangun area on the hills south of city, carrying anything they could, including pets.
The ElShinta radio station reported that power in Manado was cut off, but Detikcom said power remained in some parts, although the telephone network was not functioning. The Manado network headquarters could not be reached by telephone from Jakarta.
Metro television said the earthquake was also felt in Ternate, in North Maluku province, across the Maluku Sea from Manado, where tsunami fears also sparked a panic rush to the Gamalama mountain.
The US Geological Survey estimated the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.3. The Indonesian archipelago sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where continental plates meet, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
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