An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale was recorded in the sea off the Indonesian island of Sumatra, in the south of the country, the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics reported on Wednesday.
According to a statement from the agency, the earthquake occurred at a depth of about 16 kilometers, with an epicenter located 68 kilometers southwest of the coastal city of Bengkulu, which has more than 300,000 inhabitants.
The agency indicated that, although the earthquake occurred near the coast, does not meet the necessary conditions to generate a tsunami.
The Indonesian archipelago, which includes the island of Timor, divided between Timor-Leste and Indonesia, is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the meeting of tectonic plates causes high seismic activity.
On May 27, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Service issued a tsunami warning, withdrawn a few hours later, for countries bordering the Indian Ocean due to a magnitude 6.1 earthquake off the coast of East Timor.
The quake struck at a depth of 51.4 kilometers off the eastern tip of Timor-Leste.
In February, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake hit the North Island of Sumatra. killed at least eight people.
In 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra, causing a tsunami that killed 220,000 people across the regionor, including some 170,000 in Indonesia.
Source: Observadora
