Aceh hit by strong quake

The Associated Press ,  Jakarta   |  Sun, 03/16/2008 1:14 AM  |  Headlines

A strong earthquake struck in waters off western Indonesia late Saturday, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The magnitude 6.2 quake was centered 300 kilometers southwest of Banda Aceh, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It had a depth of 35 kilometers.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheavals due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

In December 2004, a massive earthquake off Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in a dozen countries, including 160,000 people in Indonesia's westernmost province of Aceh. (***)

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