A 6.6-magnitude quake rocked Indonesia’s northeast on Thursday, rattling furniture and panicking residents, but a tsunami warning was cancelled and no damage or casualties were reported.

The earthquake, centred 57 kilometres under the seabed some 234 kilometres northwest of Ternate, struck at 1:40 pm (1110 IST), prompting authorities to issue a warning that was withdrawn about 30 minutes later.

“I was sitting in my office when the chair started to rock,” witness Huzaidin, who was working at the police headquarters in Ternate, told ElShinta radio.

Ternate is located about 2,270 kilometres northeast of Jakarta.

ElShinta also reported panic in Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi, with people rushing out of buildings, but there was no apparent damage or victims there either.

Jabar, an official with the meteorology agency in Jakarta, said the quake was felt at a strength of three to four on the Mercalli scale in both provincial capitals.

Indonesia was the nation worst hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

No tsunami threat
The US National Weather Service also said there was no threat of a widespread tsunami after the strong earthquake was registered.

It said earthquakes of this magnitude sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within 100 kilometres of the quake epicentre.