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Jakarta: The death toll from a powerful earthquake that hit a remote Indonesian island chain at the weekend has climbed to five, with thousands living in evacuation shelters, according to an official statement on Wednesday.
The shallow 7.3-magnitude quake struck about 165 kilometres (100 miles) south of the town of Ternate in North Maluku province on Sunday evening, according to the US Geological Survey.
Nearly 1,000 houses were damaged in the sparsely populated district of South Halmahera, which was closest to the quake’s epicentre, and more than 3,000 people have taken refuge in government buildings and schools over fears of aftershocks. (AFP)