<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island early Monday, the US Geological Survey reported.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The epicentre of the quake was 48 kilometres (30 miles) south-southeast of the city of Singkil in Aceh province, at a depth of 37 kilometres, USGS said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It occurred around 6:30 am local time (2230 GMT), and USGS revised it up from its initial measurement at 6.0 magnitude with a 48 kilometres depth.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) also put it at 6.2 and said there was no threat of a tsunami, while the country's disaster agency said there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"The earthquake caused people to panic. It was felt between 3-10 seconds in four districts in Aceh and North Sumatra province," Abdul Muhari, a spokesman for the BNPB disaster mitigation agency, said in a statement.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On November 21, a 5.6-magnitude quake hit the populous West Java province on the main island of Java, killing 602 people.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Most of the victims were killed as buildings collapsed or landslides were triggered.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One of Sumatra island's deadliest quakes occurred on December 26, 2004, setting off an Indian Ocean tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people including victims as far away as Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That powerful 9.1-magnitude quake triggered 30-metre (100-foot) waves that hit the shore of Banda Aceh on Sumatra. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>