MODERATE QUAKE HITS N SULAWESI

Bandarlampung, Dec 28 (ANTARA) - An earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale hit the northern part of Indonesia's Sulawesi island on Monday.

The epicenter of the quake was in the sea 19 km southeast of Melonguane in North Sulawesi province at a depth of 10 km, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said in a report.

The quake was the third to hit the province on Monday.

Earlier in the day, a magnitude 5.3 quake jolted the province with its epicenter located 316 km from Melonguane.

The second quake came nearly 13 minutes after the first quake with a magnitude of 5.2 shook the province at 01.23 p.m.

The magnitude 5.2 quake was centered 132 km southeast of Tahuna, North Sulawesi, at a depth of 10 km.

None of the three quakes had the potential to cause a tsunami, the agency said.