The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency here reported that the epicenter of the earthquake, which had occurred at 1:25 a.m. (East Indonesia Standard Time), was located at 4.63 degrees Southern Latitude and 125.74 degrees Eastern Longitude, some 146 kilometers southwest of South Buru District.
However, the agency affirmed that the earthquake did not have the potential to trigger a tsunami, and hence, urged the local people to not panic.
Indonesia is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.
At 11 minutes past midnight (Central Indonesia Standard Time) on Monday, a 4.6-magnitude earthquake had also jolted Parigi Moutong District in Central Sulawesi.
Last Thursday, a strong quake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale also rocked the western coastal area of Sumatra, destroying 2,663 houses and 193 classrooms in the provinces of West Sumatra and Bengkulu, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
Nearly 114 out of the 2,663 houses were severely damaged, 612 houses were moderately damaged, and 1,909 houses incurred light damage, Chief of the BNPB Information Center and Public Relations Sutopo Purwo Nugroho noted in a press statement released on Saturday.
The earthquake claimed the life of an 80-year-old man who died after suffering a heart attack. Eighteen others suffered injuries in the calamity, he added.
"The man died when he felt the strong quake and then suffered a cardiac arrest," he stated.
The 18 residents were injured due to the falling debris, while they were attempting to rush outdoors, Nugroho explained.
The Pesisir Selatan District in West Sumatra Province bore the maximum brunt of the June 2 quake as 93 houses and 29 classrooms were severely damaged, 578 houses and 74 classrooms were moderately damaged, and 1,801 houses suffered light damage.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
