Strong earthquake of magnitude 6.5 jolts Sumatara

A strong undersea earthquake magnitude 6.5 on richter scale hit the Indonesian port city of Padang on Thursday, officials and residents said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The quake was centred about 155 km south of Padang, off the coast of Sumatra island at a depth of about 50 km , with a magnitude of 6.5, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

The USGS said the quake had a depth of 50.8 kilometers, reports New Zealand Herald.

Indonesia' Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, said the earthquake which struck at 5:56 a.m. (2256 GMT) had no potential to trigger tsunami.

Indonesia 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 December 2004, a massive earthquake off Sumatra island triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries.