Two undersea earthquakes over 2 500km apart and measuring up to 6,3 on the Richter scale struck Indonesia on Thursday, but no tsunami warnings were triggered, seismologists said.
The first quake in the northern Aceh province was rated by the national meteorological agency at a magnitude of 6,3 on the Richter scale, although the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported it at 6.
There were no immediate reports of any damage or casualties after the quake, the epicentre of which lay at a depth of 10km, 367km south-west of Sinabang.
Hours later, another earthquake measuring between 5,6 and 5,8 on the Richter scale struck Indonesia’s Lombok island, 190km east of Bali and close to the eastern end of the sprawling archipelago.
The USGS said the epicentre was 152km north-east of Mataram and was very shallow at 13.5km deep.
There were no reports of damage after the tremors, which were also felt in Denpasar, the capital of Bali, a meteorological agency official said.
Indonesia is situated along a belt of intense seismic activity known as the Pacific Ring of Fire. Aceh was hit by a huge earthquake registering at least 9 on the Richter scale in December 2004, triggering a devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed more than 230 000 people in the region, including 170 000 Indonesians.
Last month a strong earthquake jolted Sumatra in the north that was followed by a series of aftershocks, killing 25 people and damaging about 80 000 buildings.
Since last month’s earthquake, the Sumatra area has been hit by a series of quakes and strong aftershocks, setting off tsunami warnings in Indonesia and other countries in the region. — Reuters