Jakarta, Apr 16 (AFP) A moderately strong 5.9-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia's Molucca Sea today, the US Geological Survey said, but no tsunami alert was issued.

The quake struck at a depth of 36.5 kilometres, 85 kilometres northwest of Kota Ternate at 1 am IST, the USGS said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said there was no tsunami threat and there were no immediate reports of damage.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

A huge undersea quake in 2004 triggered a tsunami that killed more than 170,000 people in Aceh province, on western Sumatra island, and tens of thousands more in other countries with coasts on the Indian Ocean. (AFP) CK

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)