Jakarta

United States Geological Survey (USGS) said on Friday (November 18) said that a 6.9 magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of western Indonesia. The quake hit at a shallow depth about 212 kilometres southwest of Bengkulu city.

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The Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWMS) in India said the quake may be capable of generating a tsunami affecting the Indian Ocean region "based on historical data and tsunami modelling".

"IOTWMS-TSP INDIA will monitor the situation to determine if a tsunami was generated and will issue further bulletins as information becomes available," it said in an emailed warning.

However, IOTWMS in Indonesia said that there was "no tsunami threat". The epicentre of the earthquake was near the small outlying island of Enggano.

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Residents in Bengkulu reached by AFP did not feel the quake or said it was felt weakly.

"Strangely I did not feel anything at all. I was still outside, talking to my neighbour and we were not aware there was an earthquake at all," Hendri Tasparillo, 34, told AFP.

Indonesia experiences frequent earthquakes due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of intense seismic activity where tectonic plates collide that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

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A 6.2-magnitude quake that shook Sulawesi island in January last year killed more than 100 people and left thousands homeless.

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