6.9-magnitude earthquake jolts Indonesia

Jakarta Dec 16 (IANS) An earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale shook Indonesia s West Java province on Friday night the Indonesian Meteorological Agency said. No casualty or damage has however been reported.

The epicentre of the earthquake was 11 km southwest of Tasikmalaya Regency West Java province 102 km from West Java s capital Bandung with a depth of 107 km in the Earth.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) put the magnitude at 6.5 with a depth of 91.9 km Xinhua news agency reported.

The one-minute quake could be strongly felt in the country s capital Jakarta more than 200 km from the epicentre. People rushed out of their homes in fear as buildings trembled.

The Indonesian Meteorological and Geophysics Agency has issued tsunami warnings for regions off the southern coast of Java Island s West Java province Central Java province and Yogyakarta Special Region.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where several tectonic plates meet making it vulnerable to frequent earthquakes.

--IANS
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