A strong earthquake with magnitude of 6.9 rocked eastern parts of Indonesia on Tuesday morning, but there were no reports of tsunami and casualties, the local meteorology agency said.

The quake struck at 03:45 a.m.(2045 GMT, Monday) with epicenter at 234 kilometers northwest of Saumlaki town of Maluku province and 171 kilometers under the sea bed, an official of the agency, named only Octivar, said.

The intensity of the quake was felt at 3 MMI (modified mercally intensity) at the town and Tual of the province, he said.

"The quake had potential for tsunami but it did not occur, and we did not issue the warning," Octivar told Xinhua.

In Tual and Saumlaki, the closest area with the epicenter, there were no reports of damage or casualties, he said.

Indonesia sits at a vulnerable zone, so called "the Pacific Ring of Fire", where two continental plates meet that causes frequent volcanic movements.

(Xinhua News Agency August 5, 2008)