Strong quake jolts Indonesia

A strong earthquake has hit Indonesia, the Hong Kong Observatory said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The quake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale struck at 5.12am Hong Kong time (9.12pm Irish time yesterday), and its epicentre was in western Papua, formerly Irian Jaya, around 1,400 miles east of Jakarta, the observatory said.