Strong earthquake hits off western Indonesia
JAKARTA, Indonesia - A strong earthquake has hit off the coast of western Indonesia, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude-6.0 quake hit Saturday, July 5, at a depth of 19 miles. It was centered 55 miles southeast of Sinabang, a town on the east coast of Simeulue Island, which lies off the west coast of Sumatra island.
Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.
In 2004, a massive earthquake off Sumatra triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries. Most of the deaths were in northern Sumatra's Aceh province.
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