Sumatra hit by 6.7 quake, no tsunami

An undersea earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale jolted West Sumatra yesterday, striking in the same area as last week's powerful tremor, Indonesia's meteorology agency said.

The quake struck at 0831 GMT, at a depth of 76 km, but the agency did not issue a tsunami warning in the notice it sent through a mobile phone message. The US Geological Survey put the strength of the quake at magnitude 6.6.

There were no immediate reports of any damage after the quake, epicentred in the Mentawai island chain, famous of its surfing sites.

More than 20 people were killed when the 8.4 magnitude earthquake hit the area last week, which was followed by a series of strong aftershocks, setting off tsunami warnings in Indonesia and other countries in the region.