Indonesia quake causes residents to flee homes

The earthquake occurred in the Indian Ocean off Sumatra

By Staff and agencies

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- A strong earthquake has hit the southern coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, causing residents to flee their homes.

There have been no reports so far of serious damage or casualties.

There has been confusion over the magnitude of the earthquake which occurred 140 kilometers (85 miles) south of Bengkulu city, off Sumatra in the Indian Ocean, which is about 400 kilometers (250 miles) west of the capital Jakarta.

Overseas quake observers measured a preliminary magnitude of 7.3, but the Indonesian Meteorological and Geophysics Agency reported 6.7.

The epicenter was located 80 kilometers (50 miles) beneath the ocean floor and the effects of the quake were felt in Jakarta as a light tremor.

Local Bengkulu residents told CNN the earthquake woke them and moved furniture but added that it was not as strong as the one in June, measuring 7.9. That quake killed 94 people.

Hatta Abdulkarim from the Bengkulu Geophysics office said that Bengkulu province was a quake-prone area and added that "an earthquake with a similar intensity to the one last night can occur without causing much damage".

A staff member at the Climatology office in Bengkulu, Eddy Siswanto said: "I haven't seen any damage around the neighborhood".

Earthquakes regularly hit Indonesia, occasionally causing widespread damage.

The killer quake that shook Bengkulu on June 4 also left nearly 2,800 others injured and damaged more than 40,000 houses and buildings.

Indonesia's Meteorological and Geophysics Agency
U.S. National Earthquake Information Center

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