5.7-magnitude quake hits Indonesia’s Java island

Jakarta: A 5.7-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia’s main island of Java on Saturday, the United States Geological Survey said, less than two weeks after another quake in the same province killed more than 330 people.

The quake struck on land at a depth of 112.5 km (70 miles) and the epicentre was located 18 kilometres southeast of the West Java city of Banjar, according to USGS.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.

The country’s meteorological agency gave a higher magnitude of 6.4 for the quake, which also shook buildings in capital Jakarta, according to an AFP journalist.

But there was no threat of a tsunami, the agency said.

Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where tectonic plates collide.

Last month a shallow 5.6-magnitude tremor hit the town of Cianjur in West Java, killing 331 people, injuring thousands and leaving tens of thousands homeless after it collapsed buildings and triggered landslides.

Many were found buried under rubble in the days following the quake with only several successful rescues reported, including an operation to free a six-year-old boy which was described as a “miracle” by emergency workers.

A 6.2-magnitude quake that shook Sulawesi island in January last year killed more than 100 people and left thousands homeless.