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JAKARTA, INDONESIA - A POWERFUL 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck at sea off the Indonesian island of Java on Tuesday, triggering a tsunami warning which was lifted after an hour, officials said.
There were no immediate reports of damage from the quake which struck 125 kilometres north-west of Ujungkulon in West Java at 10.07 am, meteorological officials said.
It was recorded at the relatively shallow depth of 20 kilometres and had the potential to trigger a tsunami, Indonesian officials said.
'The quake was felt in Kota Agung in Lampung province but we haven't received any reports of damage there,' meteorology office chief Suharjono said.
Another official said the tsunami warning was lifted after offshore sensors indicated no drop in water levels which would indicate an imminent tidal wave.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake had a magnitude of 5.8 and a depth of 43 kilometres. Estimates of the strength of earthquakes often vary between the USGS and local monitors.
The Indonesian archipelago straddles several continental plates in an area known as the Pacific Ring of Fire where seismic and volcanic activity is recorded on an almost daily basis.
Indonesia was the nation worst hit by the earthquake-triggered Asian tsunami in December 2004 that killed 168,000 people in Aceh province alone. -- AFP
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