Strong aftershock rattles Aceh

Strong aftershock rattles Aceh

Agencies, Banda Aceh

A strong aftershock measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale jolted the tsunami-devastated province of Aceh on Wednesday but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage, meteorologists said.

The brief offshore quake occurred at 7:25 a.m. in the Indian Ocean 74.9 kilometers (46 miles) southwest of Banda Aceh, Syahnan of the Aceh Meteorology and Geophysics office was quoted by AFP as saying.

More than 230,000 people are believed to have died in the province when a magnitude-9.0 earthquake unleashed a tsunami that devastated the coastline on Dec. 26, 2004.

Aceh has been hit by more than 200 aftershocks in the seven weeks since the disaster, although most have registered under five on the Richter scale.

There was no threat of a tsunami from the latest quakes.

Also on Wednesday, a magnitude-6.2 quake struck at 10:42 p.m. local time, jolting parts of the Talaud Islands in North Sulawesi province, Riadi, an official in the provincial capital of Manado, told AP.

The quake was centered beneath the Maluku Sea, about 340 kilometers (210 miles) northeast of Manado, added Riadi.

"It jolted Talaud and was even felt in Manado," Riadi said. "We have not received reports of damage or casualties, and hopefully there was no impact."

The Hong Kong Observatory registered the quake at a 6.4 magnitude.

Riadi said the 5.0-magnitude aftershock came at 10:57 a.m. local time (0257 GMT) Wednesday, and also was centered beneath the Maluku Sea, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) northeast of Manado.

The world's largest archipelago nation, Indonesia is prone to seismic activity due to its location on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire. Earthquakes are caused by massive friction between tectonic plates shifting deep below the archipelago.