Strong quake hits Indonesian island

An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale shook the Indonesian island of Nias, without any casualty.

An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale shook the Indonesian island of Nias on Friday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or property damage, a meteorologist said.

HT Image

The offshore quake hit at 7:41 am (1241 GMT), with the epicenter 62 kilometers (20.5 miles) west of the main town of Gunung Sitoli, at a depth of 33 kilometres, said Yono of the Jakarta meteorology office.

On March 28, an 8.7-magnitude earthquake killed more than 900 people on Nias off the southwest coast of Sumatra.

Indonesia sits on the so-called Pacific Rim of Fire, where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.

A 9.3-magnitude quake along the same fault-line as Thursday's tremor triggered last year's Indian Ocean tsunami disaster which left more than 217,000 people dead or missing.