Magnitude 5.9 Quake Hits Off Sumatra - USGS

There was no immediate tsunami warning and the quake was unlikely to trigger one at that magnitude.

A magnitude 5.9 quake struck off Indonesia's Sumatra island, the U.S. Geological Survey reported on Tuesday.

The shallow quake, only 6.2 miles (10 km) deep, was centered 85 miles (135 km) west of Bengkulu on Sumatra and hit at 2:49 a.m. on Wednesday (1949 GMT on Tuesday).

There was no immediate tsunami warning and the quake was unlikely to trigger one at that magnitude.

The earthquake was initially reported at magnitude 6.2 and later verified at 5.9.

Northern Sumatra was devastated by a tsunami in December 2004 following a massive 8.4 quake in the Indian Ocean. It killed more than 230,000 in the region.