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Strong quake off Sumatra sparks panic
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-05-19 13:25
JAKARTA - A strong magnitude 6.8 earthquake rattled Indonesia's Sumatra
on Thursday, sparking panic on a nearby island where a large quake killed
hundreds in March, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The epicenter was in the sea about 111 km northwest of Mount Sitoli on Nias
island, the Indonesian Meteorological and Geophysical Agency in Jakarta said.
"Up to this moment, we have not received any report of damage, but people
were rushing out of their homes," said one official at the government earthquake
post on Nias.
Thursday's quake was 30 km deep and struck at around 8:54 a.m. (0154 GMT).
The official said people had returned to their homes and there was no
indication the quake had triggered a tsunami.
Indonesia -- especially Sumatra island -- has been hit by aftershocks since a
massive earthquake on Dec. 26 that led to a devastating tsunami which left
160,000 Indonesians feared dead.
Nias was hit by an 8.7 magnitude quake on March 28 that killed hundreds of
residents.
Nias, about 1,400 km northwest of Jakarta, is a remote and rugged island
off Sumatra famed as a surfing paradise.
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