Quake strikes off Indonesia coastBy the CNN Wire Staff
May 9, 2010 -- Updated 0729 GMT (1529 HKT)
NEW: Tsunami watch spurred by Indonesia quake has been canceled
Magnitude 7.4 earthquake strikes near Indonesia coast
Same area was affected by earthquake last week
RELATED TOPICS
Indonesia
Tsunamis
Southeast Asia
(CNN) -- A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia on Sunday but did not trigger a tsunami, the National Weather Service said.
The quake, with a depth of 28 miles (45 kilometers), struck about 140 miles (226 kilometers) southeast from Banda Aceh, according to the United States Geological Survey said.
It triggered a tsunami watch that was canceled about 45 minutes later when sea level readings indicated that a significant tsunami was not generated, the weather service's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
No immediate information on damage was available.
In April, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in the same area triggered two tsunamis and wounded several people.
Indonesia is on the so-called Ring of Fire, an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
In 2004, a 9.1-magnitude underwater earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra, triggering a tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people in 14 countries.
The tsunami, which washed away entire communities, caused nearly $10 billion in damage and more casualties than any other tsunami in history, according to the United Nations. Indonesia was among the hardest hit nations.
