Strong Quake Strikes Off West Coast Of North Sumatera

KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 (Bernama) -- A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck off the west coast of north Sumatera, Indonesia at 7.14am on Saturday. The Malaysian Meteorological Department in a statement here, said its epicentre was 296km southwest of Simeulue, Indonesia, and 790km southwest of Kampar, Perak. The statement said tremors might have also been felt in Penang, Kedah, Langkawi, Perlis and Selangor. However, no tsunami threat was reported. Fire and rescue authorities in the states concerned reported that they had yet to receive any calls from residents about tremors. In a separate statement issued at 9.33am, the department reported that a magnitude 7.0 quake hit the Irian Jaya region in Indonesia at 9.16am. The epicentre was 377km southeast of Sorong, Indonesia and 1,903km southeast of Semporna, Sabah. No tsunami threat was reported. -- BERNAMA