Quake strikes near Sumatra

2006-02-01 12:33

Jakarta - A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia's Sumatra Island early on Wednesday, the Hong Kong Observatory said.

There was no immediate reports of damage or injury, and the quake did not trigger a destructive tsunami.

The tremor was centered in seas to west of the northern part of Sumatra, about 280km south-southeast Banda Aceh city, the observatory said in a statement.

Sumatra has been hit by countless quakes since a massive tsunami-generating quake stuck of the island's western coast on December 26 2004. The tsunami left at least 216 000 people dead or missing and nearly two million homeless in 11 countries.

The quake comes after a major, 7.7-magnitude quake in eastern Indonesia on Saturday.

- AP