6.4 quake off eastern Indonesia, tsunami alert lifted: seismic monitors

JAKARTA: A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck off eastern Indonesia in the early hours of Monday, triggering a brief tsunami alert that was swiftly lifted, according to seismic monitoring organisations.

The quake struck deep at some 171 kilometres (106 miles) below the surface of the earth in the Banda Sea, the US Geological Survey reported.

A tsunami alert was initially triggered by the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWMS).

However IOTWMS followed up with a second bulletin that said there was "no threat to countries in the Indian Ocean."