Tsunami alert after quake off Indonesia

JAKARTA – A local tsunami alert was issued and later lifted after a magnitude 7.2 quake struck off Papua, eastern Indonesia early this morning.
The United States Geological Survey reported a strong 6.6 tremor followed by the stronger second quake, which hit at 2:11 a.m. The latter was only 7.6 miles deep and centered 68 miles northwest of Dobo, in the Aru Islands, very close to the first quake.
An official at the Indonesian meteorological agency said there were no reports of damage or of a tsunami. Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and is prone to earthquakes. (AP)