5.3-magnitude quake rattles Sumatra island

A 5.3-magnitude earthquake rattled the northern tip of Indonesia Monday, geologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage.

A 5.3-magnitude earthquake rattled the northern tip of Indonesia Monday, geologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage.

HT Image

The quake struck at a shallow depth of one kilometre (just over half a mile) around 160 kms (100 miles) southeast of Banda Aceh on Indonesia's Sumatra island at 2:09 am (1809 GMT Sunday), the US Geological Survey said.

Aceh province is frequently hit by earthquakes and was devasted by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where the meeting of continental plates causes strong seismic activity including earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.