New earthquake in Indonesia

Earthquake in Indonesia again!

JAKARTA, Jan 28 (snips from Reuters) - A strong earthquake struck in the Banda Sea in eastern Indonesia early on Saturday, but there were no reports of casualties or major damage, and local fears of a tsunami proved unfounded.

A tsunami caused by an Indian ocean quake in December 2004 devastated Indonesia's Aceh province on the northern tip of Sumatra, leaving some 170,000 people dead or missing.

Saturday's quake struck on the other side of the country at 1.58 a.m. local time (1658 GMT Friday) with a strong magnitude of 7.7, but at a depth of 212 miles (342 km) which blunted its impact on the earth's surface.

Earthquakes are frequent in Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous country. Its 17,000 islands sprawl along a belt of intense volcanic and seismic activity, part of what is called the Pacific Ring of Fire.