Strong quake rocks Indonesia, no damage reported

Jakarta, Jun 7: A 6.2 magnitude undersea earthquake struck off the western Indonesian island of Sumatra today, but the state meteorology and geophysics agency said its epicentre was too deep to cause any damage.

''The epicentre was 300 km (200 miles) deep. That is very deep.

They did not feel it in Lampung province,'' said agency official Fauzi, referring to the southern Sumatran province closest to the Indian Ocean epicentre.

He added the quake would not cause any tsunami.

A quake with a similar magnitude shook the country's main island of Java late last month, leaving more than 5,700 people dead and thousands more homeless in Yogyakarta and Central Java provinces.

A tsunami caused by an Indian Ocean earthquake in December 2004 devastated Aceh province on the northern tip of Sumatra, leaving some 170,000 people dead or missing.

Earthquakes are frequent in Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country. Its 17,000 islands sprawl along a belt of intense volcanic and seismic activity, part of what is called the ''Pacific Ring of Fire''.

REUTERS

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