Powerful quakes rock Indonesia's Java island

JAKARTA, Friday (AFP) Two earthquakes, one measuring up to 6.5 on the Richter scale and felt in Jakarta, shook Indonesia's Java island on Friday, but there were no casualties or damage, seismologists said.

An undersea quake measuring between 6.0 and 6.5 occurred at 11:17 am (0417 GMT) and was felt in the Indonesian capital and its outskirts, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said.

The epicenter was in the Sunda Strait, a narrow stretch of water separating Java and Sumatra islands, in which the remains of the legendary Krakatoa volcano continue to smoulder. Another tremor struck at 9:06 am and was felt in the nearby city of Bandung, the capital of West Java province, the agency said. The epicenter was 19 kilometers (11 miles) south of the city. The chief seismologist at the geophysics agency, Suharjono, said the tremor may have been triggered by pressure caused by a series of recent earthquakes off Sumatra island.

Indonesia has been shaken by a series of earthquakes since the December massive temblor, which generated a tsunami that killed some 220,000 people around the Indian Ocean, mostly on Sumatra island.

An 8.7 earthquake centred on the same Indian Ocean geological faultline killed more than 600 people as scores of concrete buildings collapsed on the Indonesian island of Nias.

A series of volcanoes have sprung to life in the wake of the quakes, including Anak Krakatau, the "child" of Krakatoa, and Tangkuban Perahu, near Bandung.

Bandung is due to host 50 heads of state next week at a ceremony to mark the golden anniversary of the Asia-Africa summit.