Indonesia quake causes panic

A powerful earthquake rocked parts of Sulawesi in eastern Indonesia today, causing panic among residents, officials and media reports said. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The earthquake registered a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 and was centred beneath the Flores Sea, about 40 miles west of the town of Bau Bau in south-east Sulawesi, said Budi Sulistiono, an official of the local meteorological agency. It struck at 8.04am local time (12.04am Irish time), he said.