Moderate quake rocks West Papua, Indonesia

JAKARTA, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- A shallow earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale struck West Papua in easternmost of Indonesia on Friday morning, but there was no report of damage or casualty, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said here.

The intensity of the quake was felt at 2 to 3 MMI (Modified Mercally Intensity) at Manokwari town of West Papua, an official of the agency named only Yusuf told Xinhua over phone.

The quake took place at 6:07 a.m. Jakarta time (2307 GMT), he said.

The center of the quake was at 57 km northeast the town and at 10 km under sea bed, Yusuf said.

Indonesia sits on a vulnerable quake-hit zone so called the "Pacific Ring of Fire," where two continental plates, stretching from Western hemisphere to Japan, meet that cause frequent seismic and volcanic movements.