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BANDA ACEH, Indonesia: A 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's Aceh province on Friday, meteorologists said, triggering panic among residents but there were no immediate reports of damage.
The quake struck at 12:24pm (0524 GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), 62 kilometres from the provincial capital of Banda Aceh, the Indonesian meteorological agency (BMG) said in a statement.
People fled buildings in Banda Aceh in a panic but no damage was initially apparent, an AFP correspondent there said. A resident told local ElShinta radio that the quake was strongly felt but she did not see any damage.
BMG officials could not immediately be reached for comment. The quake struck shortly before Friday prayers in the staunchly Muslim province.
The United States Geological Survey put the quake's magnitude at 5.3 and said in a statement that it occurred at a depth of 35 kilometres.
The Indonesian archipelago sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where continental plates collide and cause frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
Friday's quake struck just a few days after the third anniversary of the earthquake-triggered Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004, which killed 168,000 people in Aceh alone, including in Banda Aceh.
- AFP/so
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