Strong, shallow earthquake hits eastern Indonesia

JAKARTA — (UPDATE) A strong and shallow earthquake hit the eastern Indonesian island of Sulawesi early Monday, officials said. Some homes were damaged, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude-6.2 quake was centered 45 miles (75 kilometers) southeast of the town of Kendari at a depth of 6 miles (9 kilometers).

It was followed by three strong aftershocks.

Andre Wijaya, an official at Indonesia’s geological and meteorological agency in Kendari, said the earth shook violently in the Sulawesi town.

He said several houses were damaged, with windows shattered and walls cracked, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.

Indonesia straddles a series of fault lines that make the vast island nation prone to volcanic and seismic activity.

A giant quake off the country on Dec. 26, 2004, triggered the Indian Ocean tsunami, which killed 230,000 people, half of them in Indonesia’s westernmost province of Aceh.