Jakarta, March 14 (BNA): Strong and shallow underwater earthquakes hit western Indonesia and the Philippine capital region on Monday, but no major damage was reported and no tsunami warnings were issued.
An earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale with a depth of 16 km struck 169 km (104.8 miles) west of the city of Pariaman in West Sumatra province, the US Geological Survey said.
The Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said the quake was felt in many parts of the province, but there was no danger of a tsunami. It occurred just before dawn and was centered about 161 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of south Nias, an area in North Sumatra province, according to the Associated Press.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said that another earthquake, with a magnitude of 6.4, shook parts of the Manila region and outlying provinces at dawn today, but there were no reports of damage or injuries.
The Philippine Institute said the marine quake was caused by movement along the Manila Trench and had its epicenter about 110 kilometers (68 miles) west of Lubang Island in Occidental Mindoro Province, south of Manila. Its depth was about 28 kilometers (17 miles).
Indonesia and the Philippines lie along the Pacific “Ring of Fire” – the seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur.
A 6.2-magnitude earthquake in Indonesia’s West Sumatra province last month killed at least 16 people and injured more than 400. Thousands of homes and other buildings were damaged by the tremors, which were felt as far away as Malaysia and Singapore.