Strong quake jolts western Aceh town

ACEH JAYA, Aceh: Another strong earthquake rocked the tsunami- devastated town of Calang, the capital of Aceh Jaya regency on Friday.

The epicenter of the earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale was at sea some 86 kilometers northwest of Meulaboh, the capital of West Aceh regency.

"Tsunami survivors still in temporary shelters panicked, as they remain traumatized from the events of Dec. 26," said Eridawaty, an official with Banda Aceh Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG), on Saturday.

Calang was one of the hardest hit areas in that disaster.

Most of northern Sumatra has been hit with a series of aftershocks -- believed to be related to the 9.3-magnitude quake in December -- over the past five months, including the 8.7- magnitude one that devastated Nias island on March 28. -- Antara