Quake shakes West Sumatra

PADANG, West Sumatra: An earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale rocked the province of West Sumatra at 12:13 p.m. on Tuesday, an official said.

The spokesman for the West Sumatra Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, Sudadi, was quoted by Antara as saying the epicenter of the quake was in the waters off South Mentawai island, some 50 kilometers southeast of here.

He said the earthquake could be felt in neighboring areas, but no fatalities or significant damage were reported.

West Sumatra lies next to the quake-devastated province of Bengkulu, which has been rocked by a series of earthquakes over the past several months. (lup)