JAKARTA - A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 struck Indonesia`s main island of Java early Thursday, the US Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties and no tsunami alert.
The epicentre of the undersea quake, which struck at a depth of 291 kilometres (180 miles) was about 100 kilometres east of the capital Jakarta, on the north coast of Java. The quake occurred just after midnight (1700 GMT).
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a bulletin saying there was "no possibility of a tsunami".
Indonesia was the nation worst hit by the earthquake-triggered Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004 which killed some 168,000 people in Aceh province alone.
The archipelago sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates meet, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
08/08/2007 17:45 GMT