Jakarta, Dec 2 (EFE).- A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Nias on Tuesday, located in the western part of the country. Authorities have not issued a tsunami warning or reported any damage so far. The earthquake occurred at 20:16 local time (13:16 GMT) at a depth of 50 kilometers, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), which records seismic activity worldwide. The agency placed the epicenter 103.7 kilometers from the city of Teluk Dalam in southern Nias, which belongs to North Sumatra province. Indonesian authorities stated in a statement that the tremor was felt in the localities of Sibolga and Humbang Hasundutan. Nias is located about 125 kilometers off the west coast of Sumatra, the country's second-largest island, a region that is also currently facing severe floods that have left at least 712 dead and more than 500 missing. In December 2004, a powerful earthquake in northern Sumatra caused a tsunami that left more than 226,000 dead across a dozen nations bordering the Indian Ocean. Indonesia sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of high seismic and volcanic activity that is shaken by about 7,000 tremors a year, most of moderate magnitude.
