Sumatra hit by new earthquake

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5 shook south eastern Sumatra in Indonesia today, sending residents in two cities running in panic from their houses.

The quake struck at 11.38am local time (4.38am Irish time). It was centred beneath the Indian Ocean about 40 miles south of the province’s capital of Bengkulu.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

North western Sumatra was the hardest-hit area in last Sunday’s earthquake and tsunami disaster, with about 80,000 people killed.

Densely-populated Bengkulu, about 300 miles north west of Jakarta, was hit by a magnitude 7.9 quake that killed about 100 people in June 2000.