A tectonic earthquake measuring 5. 2 on the Richter Scale jolted Bengkulu province, Indonesia, Sunday evening but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The epicenter of the quake was located at 5.12 degrees southern latitude and 101.6 degrees eastern longitude, or about 100 km southwest of Bengkulu City, at a depth of 23 km below sea level, Antara news agency quoted the Kepahiang geophysics office's head Ali Muzayin as saying on Monday.

Residents of Bengkulu City felt the quake at between the second and third level of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI).

A number of people, who were watching a World Cup match on that evening, panicked and rushed out of their houses when they felt the quake.

Muzayin said Bengkulu was twice jolted by tremors in June 2006. The first tremor , on June 10, measured 3.8 on the Richter Scale.

Bengkulu Province is quite prone to earthquakes. On June 4, 2000, an earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter Scale rocked Bengkulu, killing 94 people and injuring hundreds of others.

Indonesia lies in a zone known as the Pacific "ring of fire", which is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity.

Among the worst earthquakes to hit the country was the 8.9 magnitude tumbler followed by tsunami in Aceh and North Sumatra in December 2004 which killed over 168,000 people.

Source: Xinhua