7.1-magnitude earthquake rocks central Indonesia, no casualties reported

JAKARTA, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- A 7.1-magnitude earthquake jolted off North Sulawesi province in central Indonesia on Wednesday, but there were no reports of damages or casualties, the weather agency said.

The earthquake took place at 1:06 p.m. local time (0606 GMT) with its epicenter located at 141 km southeast of the Melonguane sub-district of Talaud island district and a depth of 64 km under the seabed, the country's meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency said.

The tremors of the quake were also felt in the nearby provinces of North Maluku and Gorontalo, according to the agency.

Head of the Disaster Management and Mitigation Agency of North Sulawesi Province Joi Oroh said that the shakes of the quake were felt by the residents in the province, but did not trigger much panic.

"We have not got reports of damages or residents injured," he told Xinhua by phone.

"Some people here went outside of houses and buildings. So far, the situation is safe at the provincial capital city Manado and also in the Talaud island district. But we are still checking the condition in other parts of the province."