People flee in panic as powerful quake hits off Indonesia damaging homes

A police officer checks a damaged house after the 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit deep under the ocean off Indonesia and East Timor, in Saumlaki in the Tanimbar Islands Regency on Jan 10, 2023. - AFP

JAKARTA (AFP): A 7.6-magnitude earthquake hit deep under the ocean off Indonesia and East Timor early Tuesday (Jan 10), injuring at least one person after rattling nearby islands, damaging homes and forcing residents to flee in panic.

The epicentre of the quake was 427 kilometres (265 miles) south of the Indonesian island of Ambon at a depth of 95km, the US Geological Survey reported.