KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians need not worry about the earthquake reported in North Maluku Sea Saturday morning, said Meteorological Department director-general Datuk Che Gayah Ismail.
"The people here need not worry as the quake took place far away from Malaysia," she said when contacted by Bernama.
The earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale occurred in the North Maluku Sea at 10.31am.
The epicentre was 160 kilometers northwest of Ternate, Indonesia and 938 kilometers southeast of Semporna, Sabah.
Che Gayah said the department was monitoring the situation for any incidents of tsumani and would keep the people updated from time to time.
Earlier, an AFP report quoted the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre as saying the earthquake had the potential to cause tsunami along the coast of the Maluku archipelago.
The centre said the tsunami waves could hit parts of Indonesia, Philippines, Japan, Taiwan and the South Pacific islands. - Bernama