A strong aftershock rattled Indonesia's tsunami-ravaged province of Aceh on Friday morning but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The latest aftershock, measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale, shook Banda Aceh, the provincial capital of the province and nearby areas, at about 6:20 a.m. local time (2320 GMT Thursday), said Syahnan, head of Banda Aceh's Meteorology and Geophysics office. "The new quake's epicenter was in the Indian Ocean, located about 91 kilometers west of Banda Aceh," Syahnan said, adding that there were no reports of further damage from the latest trembler. A series of aftershocks has rattled Aceh in recent days, Syahnan said, adding that in the past week, Banda Aceh has been hit by aftershocks with magnitudes ranging from 5.0 and 6.0 on the Richter scale. All have taken place in the Indian Ocean off the western coast of the province. Aceh, 1,750-kilometres northwest of Jakarta, was hardest hit by the December 26 disaster because it was closest to the epicenter of the magnitude-9.0 quake that triggered gigantic tidal waves and left 126,439 people dead and 93,715 missing, according to the most recent government figures.
