<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">A strong, deep 7.1-magnitude earthquake and several aftershocks rattled Bali and other Indonesian islands on Tuesday, the USGS reported, sending panicked tourists into the streets but causing no major damage.</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The quake struck at a depth of around 515 kilometres off the northeastern coast of Bali at around 3:55 am local time (1955 GMT Monday), according to the US Geological Survey.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The tremors were felt across Bali, and also in the nearby islands of Lombok and Sumbawa.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Bali residents said a second aftershock sent "longer and stronger" tremors than the first.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"When the first earthquake struck, I woke up my husband. Not long after that, the second earthquake struck, so we immediately took our children outside," said Ardylla Yuliacitra, 31.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"The first earthquake made me sway like on a boat, and the second made my house tremble."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The USGS reported a 5.4-magnitude and a 5.6-magnitude aftershock within minutes of the initial quake.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Hotels evacuated their guests as staffers checked beaches for fear of a possible tsunami.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We calmed (guests) and provided mineral water and towels for those who were evacuating. Then after 15 to 20 minutes, when things felt safe, the staff invited guests to return to their rooms," said Nimas Ayu, spokesperson of the Artotel hotel in Bali's eastern Sanur area.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The epicentre was 181 km northeast of the Gili islands off Lombok, a short boat ride from Bali.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Indonesian authorities ruled out a tsunami and said no immediate damage was reported.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Our teams are carrying assessments as they are still collecting reports from the people," the Bali disaster mitigation agency said in a statement.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Indonesia experiences frequent earthquakes due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In November, 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;">A major earthquake off Indonesia's Sumatra island on December 26, 2004, set off an Indian Ocean tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people as far away as Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. AFP</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>