5.9-magnitude earthquake hits North Sulawesi

A magnitude of 5.9 jolted North Sulawesi on Thursday, July 02, 2009 at 05:10:45 AM local time. There was no immediate report of casualties or material damage. The epicenter was located at a depth of 23 kilometers below sea level, 107 kilometers southeast of Bitung, which lies 50 kilometers to the east of North Sulawesi's capital Manado.

Local meteorology and geophysics agency (BMG) said that the quake did not have the potential to cause a tsunami and its magnitude was felt by people in Bitung, Minahasa, Minahasa Selatan, Manado as well as the islands of Sangihe and Talaud.

Previously, at 06:59 a.m. Friday, June 5, 2009, at the same area, a magnitude 5 earthquake occurred, no damage was reported. On Tuesday, June 30, a magnitude 3.0 occurred at the Kendari gulf, 15 kilometers from Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi.