Jakarta - An earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale shook parts of eastern Indonesia early Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of damages or casualties.

The quake's epicentre was in the Maluku province, 194 kilometres north-west of Saumlaki regency, according to an official report from the Jakarta meteorology and geophysics agency.

The quake was 72 kilometres beneath the ocean, which was quite deep for the area, so there was no tsunami potential, the report said.

In December 2004, a 9.1-magnitude quake triggered tsunamis that struck nine countries. The waves killed some 177,000 people in Indonesia's Aceh province alone. (dpa)