6.5-magnitude earthquake hits off western Indonesia, no tsunami alert issued

JAKARTA -- An undersea quake with a magnitude of 6.5 jolted western Indonesia's West Java province on Saturday evening, without triggering giant waves, the country's meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency said.

The earthquake occurred at 23:29 Jakarta time (1629 GMT) on Saturday with its epicenter located 151 km southwest of Garut regency and a depth of 10 km, the agency said.

The tremors of the quake were also felt in nearby Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, and the nearby province of Banten, as well as the provinces of Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java, it said.

In West Java province, the intensity of the quake was felt at IV MMI (Modified Mercally Intensity) in Sukabumi town and Tasikmalaya town, and III to IV MMI in Bandung city, the capital of West Java province, the agency said.

There was no tsunami alert issued by the agency as the tremors would not potentially trigger giant waves.

Indonesia, an archipelagic nation, is prone to earthquakes because of its position on a vulnerable quake-hit zone, called the "Pacific Ring of Fire."