SUKABUMI - A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck Bayah District in Banten Province on Wednesday at 7:53 a.m. local time, though no immediate reports were received of damage or casualties on account of the quake.

According to the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the quake's epicenter was located about 72 kilometers away from southwest of Dayah District, at a depth of 74 kilometers.

The quake's tremor could be felt as far as Sukabumi City in West Java Province, head of the city's Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) Novian Rahmat stated.

"We still monitor the earthquake's impact on buildings in our administrative area," he added.

The earthquake occurred four days after Sumedang District in West Java was jolted by a series of shallow earthquakes.

The shallow quakes, whose highest magnitude was measured at 4.8, damaged 248 houses and displaced 456 residents.

The earthquakes also forced medical personnel at the Sumedang Public Hospital to evacuate 108 patients to the hospital's front yards and backyards.

Banten's areas have repeatedly been jolted by earthquakes. On August 2, 2019, a magnitude 6.9 quake rocked Sumur area in Pandeglang District, damaging several buildings.

Its epicenter was located at 7.54 degrees southern latitude and 104.58 degrees eastern longitude, at a depth of 10 km below sea level, and 147 km southwest of Sumur, or 164 km southwest of Pandeglang.

Earthquakes regularly rock several parts of Indonesia since the country lies on the Circum-Pacific Belt, also known as the Ring of Fire, where several tectonic plates meet and cause frequent volcanic and seismic activities.

On December 26, 2004, Aceh, the country's westernmost province, experienced the deadliest earthquake ever on record. The quake had a magnitude of 9.3 and was followed by a tsunami.

The catastrophe, which also affected certain coastal areas in countries, such as Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India, reportedly killed at least 230 thousand people in Aceh. (ant)