A 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia on Wednesday, sparking panic in the coastal city of Ambon. 

No immediate damage or loss of life was recorded, and no tsunami threat was indicated in the quake.

Officials noted that the quake was shallow, hitting in the Banda Sea, 151km east-southeast of Ambon. 

Authorities said the quake struck at a depth of 33.9km – tsunami warning centres in Indonesia said there was no potential for the quake to trigger a tsunami.

“The quake was felt strongly in Ambon and Banda, but until now there is no report of damage or casualties,” Jandri Pattinama, an officer at a geophysics station in Ambon, told AFP.

A spokesman for the national disaster management agency in Indonesia said the quake was only felt for three to five seconds and was felt heavily in the regions of Ambon and Central Maluku. 

“People were panicked and ran outside and stayed on the streets,” he said.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity in the region.

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