Moderate earthquake jolts Indonesia

A 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck central Indonesia on Monday, but there were no reports of damage or injuries, a meteorological agency said.

The moderate quake struck near Sangihe island, around 350 km northeast of North Sulawesi province, according to the US Geological Survey's website.The quake struck at 7:19 a.m. at a depth of 27 km beneath the seabed.

Monday's earthquake was the latest in a series to strike Indonesia in recent months. On July 17, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami that hit the southern coast of Java, leaving more than 600 people dead and thousands homeless. On May 27, a strong 6.3-quake struck the Central Java cultural city of Yogyakarta and nearby areas, killing nearly 6,000 people.

On December 2004, a 9.0 quake generated a tsunami that left some 177,000 people dead or missing in Aceh province, on the northern end of Sumatra. Indonesia is the world's largest archipelago nation, located in the Pacific volcanic belt known as the "Ring of Fire", where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are commonplace.