Quake rattles Indonesia's southern coast; no tsunami

By Ainur Rohmah

TUBAN, Indonesia (AA) - A magnitude-6.2 earthquake has rattled Indonesia's coast after striking around 234 kilometers (145 miles) off the southern island of Lombok on Thursday.

According to preliminary data from the United States Geological Survey, the tremor struck at a depth of 29 kilometers south of Praya, the main town in Central Lombok Regency on Lombok Island.

Lombok is about 25 kilometres from the popular tourist resort island of Bali.

No tsunami warning was given, and there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Thursday's tremor followed a powerful earthquake Wednesday that caused residents of Indonesia’s Maluku Islands to rush to the streets in panic during the pre-fast Ramadan meal, as its shocks rocked furniture and damaged buildings.

The country’s meteorological agency reported that the magnitude 6.6 temblor struck 124 kilometers (77 miles) west-northwest of the Maluku Islands at a depth of 33 kilometers.

Indonesia lies within the Pacific’s "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide and cause frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

Last week, a magnitude-6.5 tremor damaged buildings in western Sumatra Island, with its shocks reportedly felt in parts of Singapore and peninsular Malaysia to the north.

On Dec. 26, 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck the eastern coast of Sumatra, causing a tsunami that killed around 230,000 people as it tore along the coasts of Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.