Quake jolts Indonesia's Nias island

Jakarta: A 5.6-magnitude earthquake shook the Indonesian island of Nias on Sunday but there were no casualties or concerns about possible tsunamis, officials said.

The tectonic quake struck at 0658 hours IST and was centered about 55 kilometres northwest of Nias' main town of Gunung Sitoli, said an offical at the Meteorological agency in Jakarta, Suharjono.

He said the quake was 33 kilometres under the sea and was felt in Gunung Sitoli at between four to five on the Mercalli scale.

"It is still an aftershock of the major earthquake off Nias of March 2005," Suharjono said.

A 7.7-strength undersea temblor earlier this month triggered a tsunami that lashed the south coast of Java island, killing more than 600 people.