5.6-magnitude quake hits Indonesia

The quake was centered 61 kilometers under the floor of the Sulawesi Sea and was too deep to be felt on the surface.

A 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia's northernmost region off Sulawesi island on Monday, a meteorology agency official said.

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The quake, which hit at 8.19 am, was centered 61 kilometers under the floor of the Sulawesi Sea, some 288 kilometers north of Sangihe island near the maritime border with the Philippines, said Yudo of the meteorology agency in Jakarta.

"It was too deep to be felt on the surface," he said, adding that several aftershocks also registered but all were weaker than the initial jolt. The Indonesian archipelago sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire where continental plates meet, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

Indonesia was the nation worst hit by the earthquake-triggered Asian tsunami in December 2004, which killed some 168,000 people in Aceh province.

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake in July on the south coast of the main island of Java also killed more than 600 people.