JAKARTA, Dec 14, 2021 (BSS/AFP) - A 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck eastern
Indonesia on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said, as monitors warned of
the possibility of hazardous tsunami waves.

  The USGS said the quake struck around 100 kilometres north of the town of
Maumere at a depth of 18.5 kilometres (11 miles) in the Flores Sea at 0320
GMT.

  The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said "hazardous waves are possible for
coasts located within 1,000 km (600 miles) of the quake epicentre".

  The USGS said the chance of casualties was low, while noting that "recent
earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as tsunamis and
landslides that might have contributed to losses".

  Indonesia experiences frequent quakes and volcanic eruptions due to its
position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of intense seismic activity
where tectonic plates collide that stretches from Japan through Southeast
Asia and across the Pacific basin.

  Among Indonesia's string of deadly quakes was a devastating 2004 9.1-
magnitude tremor that struck off the coast of Sumatra and triggered a tsunami
that killed 220,000 throughout the region, including about 170,000 in
Indonesia.

  The Boxing Day disaster was one of the deadliest natural disasters in
recorded history.

  In 2018, a powerful quake shook the island of Lombok and several more
tremors followed over the next couple of weeks, killing more than 550 people
on the holiday island and neighbouring Sumbawa.

  Later that year, a 7.5-magnitude quake and a subsequent tsunami in Palu on
Sulawesi island left more than 4,300 people dead or missing.