Powerful earthquake strikes Indonesia

A powerful earthquake strikes the western coast off Indonesia's Sumatra island, but there are immediate reports of casualties and structural damages.

A powerful earthquake struck the western coast off Indonesia's Sumatra island early on Sunday morning, but there were immediate reports of casualties and structural damages.

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According to the country's Meteorological agency, the quake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale rocked Mukomuko district in Bengkulu province on Sumatra island at 09:52 am local time.

The quake's epicentre lies 2.82 degrees South Latitude and 101.04 degrees East Longitude, 55 km under the sea bed and 28 km southwest of Mukomuko district, said the agency, adding that there was no risk of a tsunami.

Indonesia lies on a vulnerable zone called "the Pacific Ring of Fire" where two continental plates, stretching from the Western Hemisphere through Japan and Southeast Asia, meet that cause frequent volcanic movements.