Strong earthquake jolts Indonesia

The quake was at a depth of 57 km, too far below the earth’s surface to cause a tsunami, according to an official from the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency . It panicked people and caused an electricity blackout, but there were no reports of damage or injuries.

A strong earthquake struck deep under the sea in eastern Indonesia on Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, officials said.

The earthquake of a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 struck on the fifth anniversary of another quake that spawned the Asian tsunami that left 2,30,000 people dead in a dozen countries around the Indian Ocean rim. The December 26, 2004 tsunami was sparked by a 9.2-magnitude underwater quake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Saturday’s quake was at a depth of 57 km, too far below the earth’s surface to cause a tsunami, said Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency seismologist Paulus Prihandoyo.

The quake had its epicentre about 270 km north of Saumlaki and about 2,700 km east of the capital Jakarta, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Residents in Saumlaki said the quake panicked people and caused an electricity blackout, but there were no reports of damage or injuries.

Indonesia sits above a series of fault lines that make the vast island nation one of the most earthquake-prone places in the world.

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck off West Sumatra on September 30 and killed hundreds of people and toppled hundreds of homes and buildings.