Moderate earthquake hits southeastern Indonesia

A moderate earthquake struck under the ocean in southeastern Indonesia on Monday, but there were no immediate reports of damage and it was not strong enough to trigger a tsunami, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The quake with a preliminary strength of 5.7 was centered deep under the Maluku Sea, 192 kilometers (119 miles) southeast of Manado on Sulawesi island, the U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site.

Local officials received no immediate reports of damage or casualties, reports AP.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," a string of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

In late May, a magnitude-6.2 quake flattened homes and hotel near the ancient city of Yogyakarta, killing more than 5,000 and injuring thousands more. It was nation's worst disaster since the 2004 tsunami that killed more than 131,000 people.