( dpa ) - A strong earthquake jolted Nias island off the western coast of Indonesia's Sumatra early Wednesday, leaving one dead and five injured, seismologists and local media reports said.
No tsunami warning was issued following the quake, which measured 6.2 on the Richter scale and struck at about 00:14 am (1714 GMT Tuesday).
The quake's epicentre was located about 24 kilometers south-west of Gunung Sitoli on Nias island, and occurred about 10 kilometres beneath the seabed, said Andrie Setiaji, an official at Jakarta's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency.
"Gunung Sitoli town, the closest to the epicentre seems to be the worst hit, with some buildings cracked," Setiaji said. The quake also triggered residents to flee their homes in panic.
Jakarta-based MetroTV reported that one person died and five others were injured from the quake.
Nias island was hit by a devastating 8.7-magnitude earthquake in March 2005 that killed more than 800 people and left tens of thousands homeless.
More than 170,000 people were killed in December 2004 after a tsunami hit Aceh province at the northern tip of Sumatra island and other south and southeastern Asian countries.
Indonesia sits on a vulnerable quake zone called the "Pacific ring of Fire", where two continental plates meet that cause frequent seismic and volcanic movements.