6.2 magnitude earthquake hits eastern Indonesia

A strong and shallow earthquake hit eastern Indonesia on Monday, sending residents, hotels guests and patients from a hospital fleeing in panic. Some homes were damaged, with windows shattered and walls cracked.The US Geological Survey said the 6.2 magnitude quake was centered 75 kilometres southeast of Kendari, a town on Sulawesi Island, at a depth of just9 kilometres. It was followed by three strong aftershocks.Indonesia straddles a series of fault lines that make the vast island nation prone to volcanic and seismic activity. A giant quake off the country on December 26, 2004, triggered a tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed 230,000 people.