MODERATE QUAKE HITS BANDA ACEH

Banda Aceh, Aceh, April 25 (ANTARA) - A magnitude 4.8 earthquake rocked the Aceh provincial capital Banda Aceh and environs on Sunday.

The quake which struck at 09.59 a.m. was centered 97 km southwest of Banda Aceh at a depth of 12 km, spokesman for the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Arif Nurakhim said.

The temblor was felt by people living in the city with a population of 300 thousand at I-II Modified Mercally Intensity (MMI), he said.

There was no immediate report of casualties or material damage. But the quake prompted people particularly those staying at storied buildings to rush outdoors.

"I was working on the second floor (when the quake occurred). I strongly felt it so I hurried up to go downstairs," said Ruslan, a resident of Keutapang in Banda Aceh.

But a number of motorists said they did not feel the temblor.

"I didn't feel the quake maybe I was driving," another resident said.

Aceh province was devastated by a magnitude 8.9 quake and a subsequent tsunami on December 26, 2004, killing more than 200,000 people.

An earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale again rattled the province on April 7, 2010.