Big Quake off Sumatra Island, No Tsunami-Official
INDONESIA: May 11, 2005


JAKARTA - A earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale shook Indonesia's Sumatra island on Tuesday, but there were no reports of casualties or damage, officials said.

 


"I have checked ... there was no tsunami," said Setiono, an official at the Meteorological and Geophysics Agency in Jakarta.

The quake was felt across parts of southern Sumatra, and underscores the heavy seismic activity along the western side of the island since a 9 magnitude earthquake on Dec. 26 triggered a massive tsunami that hit 13 Indian Ocean nations.

Setiono said the latest quake occurred 267 km (170 miles) northwest of the town of Liwa around 8.09 a.m. (0109 GMT). It had a depth of 33 km.

The December quake and tsunami left 160,000 people dead or missing in Aceh province on the north end of Sumatra. There have been countless aftershocks, which continue to traumatise people across Sumatra.

 


REUTERS NEWS SERVICE