Earthquakes shake Indonesia, Philippines; no tsunami threat

AP

Jakarta, March 14

Strong, shallow underwater earthquakes shook western Indonesia and the Philippine capital region on Monday, but no serious damage was reported, and no tsunami warnings were issued.

In Indonesia, an earthquake of magnitude 6.7 and 16 kilometres deep struck about 169 kilometres west of Pariaman, a town in West Sumatra province, the US Geological Survey said.

The Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said the quake was felt in many parts of the province but there was no danger of a tsunami.

It occurred just before dawn and was centered about 161 kilometres southeast of South Nias, a district in North Sumatra province.

Another earthquake of magnitude 6.4 shook parts of the Manila region and outlying provinces at dawn but there were no reported damages or injuries, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.

The offshore quake was set off by movement along the Manila Trench and its epicenter was about 110 kilometres west of Lubang island in Occidental Mindoro province, which lies south of Manila, the Philippine institute said. Its depth was about 28 kilometres.

Indonesia and the Philippines lie along the Pacific “Ring of Fire” — the seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world's earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.

A 6.2 magnitude earthquake in Indonesia's West Sumatra province last month killed at least 16 people and injured more than 400. Thousands of homes and other buildings were damaged by the tremors that were felt as far away as Malaysia and Singapore.

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