Strong earthquakes jolt Indonesia, Philippines

Manila: Strong and shallow underwater earthquakes shook western Indonesia and the Philippine capital region Monday (today), however, no tsunami warnings were issued. 

In Indonesia, a magnitude-6.7 quake that was 16 kilometers deep struck about 169 kilometers west of Pariaman, a town in West Sumatra province, the US Geological Survey said.

The Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (IMGA) said the quake was felt in several parts of the province but there was no danger of a tsunami. 

The tremor was occurred just before dawn and was centered about 161 kilometers southeast of South Nias, a district in North Sumatra province. No serious damage was immediately reported.

In Philippine a 6.4-magnitude quake jolted parts of the capital region—outlying provinces at dawn but there were no reported damages or injuries, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PIVS) said.

The offshore quake was set off by movement along the Manila Trench and its epicenter was about 110 kilometers west of Lubang Island in Occidental Mindoro province, which lies south of Manila, the Philippine institute said. 

Its depth was about 28 kilometers.  

Indonesia and the Philippines lie along the Pacific “Ring of Fire” — a line of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean — and are frequently struck by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.