Quake of 5.6-magnitude hits Sumatra

The quake hit at 8:52 am (0152 GMT), 42 kms (26 miles) northwest of the city of Gunung Sitoli in North Sumatra province.

A 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia's Sumatra island on Wednesday, but there was no threat of a tsunami and no immediate reports of damage, geologists said.

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The quake hit at 8:52 am (0152 GMT), 42 kilometres (26 miles) northwest of the city of Gunung Sitoli in North Sumatra province, the Indonesian meteorology and geophysics agency said in a text message. It was 12 kilometres deep.

There were no immediate reports of damage but the quake was felt by residents in Gunung Sitoli and the nearby city of Sibolga, Subagio told AFP.

Indonesia was the nation worst hit by the earthquake-triggered Asian tsunami in December 2004 that killed 168,000 people in the country's Aceh province.

The Indonesian archipelago sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where continental plates meet causing seismic and volcanic activity.