Big quake reported in Indonesia

HONG KONG - A large earthquake hit Sulawesi, Indonesia, early on Monday local time, the Hong Kong Observatory said.

The quake, measured at 6.1 on the Richter scale at 4.15am (9.15am NZT) in Hong Kong, was centred about 40km south-southwest of Palu, the observatory reported.

It gave no further information.

The quake comes less than a month after the magnitude 9.0 December 26 quake in the west of Indonesia that generated a tsunami, killing as many as 234,000 people around the Indian Ocean rim.

- REUTERS