Quake rocks Sumbawa island

Quake rocks Sumbawa island

JAKARTA: An earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale
jolted Sumbawa Island early on Friday but there were no reports
of casualties or damage, seismologists said.

The offshore quake struck at 7.15 am with the epicenter 140
kilometers south of the island, the Meteorology and Geophysics
Agency said.

The tremor, which was centered 33 kilometers below the sea
floor, was also felt in other parts of the island.

On Dec. 26 last year, a 9.3-magnitude quake off the west coast
of Aceh on Sumatra triggered tsunamis that left at least 217,000
people dead around the Indian Ocean, including 131,000 in Aceh.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific Rim of Fire, where the meeting
of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.
-- AFP