Strong earthquake strikes coastal Indonesia

A strong earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale struck off the western coast of northern Sumatra in Indonesia.

A strong earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale struck off the western coast of northern Sumatra in Indonesia on Thursday, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency in Jakarta said.

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The quake, centered 33 kilometres (20 miles) under the floor of the Indian Ocean some 300 kilometres west of Simeulue, was only moderately felt on the island, said Hardiyanto of the agency's office in the capital Jakarta.

There were no reports of injuries or damage from the quake, which struck at 2:36 am local time (20:36 GMT).

The US Geological Survey said that the quake occurred not far from the epicentre of the devastating December 26, 2004 earthquake which triggered the Indian Ocean tsunami that killed more than 200,000 in the region.

That quake measured 9.0 on the Richter and was the biggest in 40 years.