6.1 quake strikes off Sumatra, Indonesia
Tourists enjoy Kuta beach on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on October 10, 2011, among tens of thousands who visitor each year.
A strong 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia’s Sumatra island on Saturday, the third to hit the region this month.
The Australian Associated Press reported the US Geological Survey as saying the quake struck at 10:16 a.m. today, 265 miles southwest of Banda Aceh on the northern tip of Sumatra.
Aceh province was among the areas worst hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed 230,000 people.
The province was shaken earlier this month by two huge earthquakes, triggering an Indian Ocean-wide tsunami alert.
No tsunami warning was issued, according to Agence France-Presse.
More from GlobalPost: Indonesia: Tsunami warning lifted after powerful earthquake strikes
According to Xinhua, Indonesia is anticipating an earthquake of measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale, better known as "mega thrust," off southwest Sumatra province.
Such a quake would likely trigger strong tsunamis, Xinhua wrote.
Residents in the sparsely populated region reported street lamps shaking, but there were no immediate signs of severe damage, the Associated Press reported, adding that that the quake was centered just 18 miles beneath the ocean floor.
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