At lest 17 people were wounded and dozens of houses and a hospital were damaged after a 7.4 magnitude quake rocked North Sulawesi province in eastern part of Indonesia on Thursday, Health Ministry said.

Earlier reports said two churches were also damaged in the quake.

The quake struck at 00:34 Jakarta time (1734 GMT) with the epicenter at 112 km southeast of Melongue and at 10 km under seabed, local meteorology agency said.

The quake was felt at 4 to 5 MMI (Modified Mercally Intensity) at Melongue town, Sange town and 3 to 4 MMI in provincial capital Manado.

The quake was frequently followed by several moderate tremors ranging from 5.0 to 5.9, the agency said.

Pakaya said medical teams were heading to some islands far from the main city of Manado, while logistic and other assistance were also on the way.

The U.S. Geological Survey said that the quake was 7.0 magnitude.

Indonesia with over 230 million population sits in a vulnerable quake-hit zone so called "the pacific Ring of Fire," where two continental plates meet that cause frequent seismic and volcanic movements.

(Xinhua News Agency February 12, 2009)