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Monday, July 15, 2019, 15:22
2 people dead, dozens of homes damaged in Indonesian quake
By Associated Press
Monday, July 15, 2019, 15:22 By Associated Press

Residents leave their homes to find higher grounds following an earthquake in Ternate, North Maluku, Indonesia, July 14, 2019. (PHOTO / AP)

JAKARTA, Indonesia — A strong earthquake in eastern Indonesia killed two people and damaged at least dozens of homes, a disaster official said Monday, as the government declared a seven-day emergency response period.

Authorities said there was no tsunami risk from the quake, but many people ran to higher ground anyway

The magnitude 7.3 quake on Sunday was centered 166 kilometers southeast of Ternate, the capital of North Maluku province, at a depth of just 10 kilometers. Shallow quakes can cause more damage.

National disaster agency spokesman Agus Wibowo said two women were killed by collapsing houses and more than 2,000 people have fled to temporary shelters. The quake was followed by at least 65 smaller aftershocks.

READ MORE: Indonesia lifts tsunami warning after quake, no damage reported

The agency is still assessing the level of destruction but said two bridges and about 58 homes in one village alone, Saketa, were damaged.

Authorities said there was no tsunami risk from the quake, but many people ran to higher ground anyway. TV footage showed people screaming while running out of a shopping mall in Ternate.

The hardest-hit areas, Sofifi and Labuha, only can be accessed by a 10-hour boat trip from Ternate or by small plane, Wibowo said.

With a population of around 1 million, North Maluku is one of Indonesia's least populous provinces.

Residents sleep on the ground after leaving their homes to find higher grounds following an earthquake in Gane Utara, North Maluku, Indonesia, July 14, 2019. (PHOTO / AP)

ALSO READ: Indonesia says 17 dead after motorboat sinks in bad weather

Indonesia, home to more than 260 million people, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location along the Pacific "Ring of Fire." A powerful Indian Ocean quake and tsunami in 2004 killed a total of 230,000 people in a dozen countries, most of them in Indonesia.

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