Quake jolts Indonesia's Sumatra, no damage

Jakarta, June 8: A 5.1 magnitude undersea earthquake struck off the western Indonesian island of Sumatra today, but the state meteorology and geophysics agency said it would not generate a tsunami nor cause damage.

The quake's Indian Ocean epicentre was in the same area where a massive earthquake triggered a tsunami that left 170,000 people killed and missing in Aceh province in December 2004.

A quake with a 6.2 magnitude shook Indonesia's main island of Java late last month, killing more than 5,700 people and rendering thousands homeless in and around Yogyakarta.

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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