JAKARTA: Residents fled their homes in panic on Monday after a moderate 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's Nias island, seismologists said. Residents in Gunung Sitoli town on Nias ran for safety when the quake hit at 4:31 pm (0931 GMT), said Rudi Teguh from Indonesia's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency.

“Some of the residents in Gunung Sitoli felt the quake and they fled their homes but there are no reports of casualties or damage,” Teguh said.

The quake was centred 34kms northwest of Gunung Sitoli at a depth of 49kms, the agency said.

The Indonesian archipelago sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where continental plates meet, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.—AFP