<p class="title">A strong quake rattled Indonesia on Tuesday, sparking panic in the capital Jakarta and ripping roads apart in the countryside.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Office workers rushed outside as buildings began swaying, while riders were thrown off their motorbikes by the force of the 6.0 magnitude rumble.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Footage broadcast on Indonesian television showed trucks swaying violently from side to side at a port in Banten province on the northwestern tip of Java. Pictures posted to social media showed huge cracks splitting roads and minor damage to vehicles and buildings.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I was sitting when the building suddenly started shaking," said Jakarta department store worker Suji, 35, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I ran outside the building. It was quite strong and I was afraid."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The United States Geological Survey said the 6.0 magnitude quake struck at a depth of 43 kilometres (27 miles).</p>.<p class="bodytext">There was no warning of any tsunami.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The epicentre was off the coast, about 130 kilometres southwest of Jakarta, a sprawling city of more than 10 million people.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The epicentre is in an area prone to quakes. More aftershocks are very likely," Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics agency chief Dwikorita Karnawati told Metro TV.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I'm calling on people to be prepared, especially if you are in buildings with a weak structure," he added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The tremor came as US Defense Secretary James Mattis was in Jakarta for an official visit.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where tectonic plates meet, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.</p>.<p class="bodytext">At least three people were killed following a 6.5-magnitude earthquake just outside the coastal town of Cipatujah on Java island in mid-December.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The tremor was felt across the densely populated island, causing damage to hundreds of houses and other buildings.</p>.<p class="bodytext">An earthquake struck Indonesia's western province of Aceh in December 2016, killing more than 100 people, injuring many more and leaving tens of thousands homeless.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Aceh was one of the areas worst hit by the devastating 2004 tsunami triggered by a magnitude 9.3 undersea earthquake off the coast of Sumatra.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The wall of waves killed 220,000 people in countries around the Indian Ocean, including 168,000 in Indonesia.</p>
<p class="title">A strong quake rattled Indonesia on Tuesday, sparking panic in the capital Jakarta and ripping roads apart in the countryside.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Office workers rushed outside as buildings began swaying, while riders were thrown off their motorbikes by the force of the 6.0 magnitude rumble.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Footage broadcast on Indonesian television showed trucks swaying violently from side to side at a port in Banten province on the northwestern tip of Java. Pictures posted to social media showed huge cracks splitting roads and minor damage to vehicles and buildings.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I was sitting when the building suddenly started shaking," said Jakarta department store worker Suji, 35, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I ran outside the building. It was quite strong and I was afraid."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The United States Geological Survey said the 6.0 magnitude quake struck at a depth of 43 kilometres (27 miles).</p>.<p class="bodytext">There was no warning of any tsunami.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The epicentre was off the coast, about 130 kilometres southwest of Jakarta, a sprawling city of more than 10 million people.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The epicentre is in an area prone to quakes. More aftershocks are very likely," Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics agency chief Dwikorita Karnawati told Metro TV.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I'm calling on people to be prepared, especially if you are in buildings with a weak structure," he added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The tremor came as US Defense Secretary James Mattis was in Jakarta for an official visit.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where tectonic plates meet, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.</p>.<p class="bodytext">At least three people were killed following a 6.5-magnitude earthquake just outside the coastal town of Cipatujah on Java island in mid-December.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The tremor was felt across the densely populated island, causing damage to hundreds of houses and other buildings.</p>.<p class="bodytext">An earthquake struck Indonesia's western province of Aceh in December 2016, killing more than 100 people, injuring many more and leaving tens of thousands homeless.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Aceh was one of the areas worst hit by the devastating 2004 tsunami triggered by a magnitude 9.3 undersea earthquake off the coast of Sumatra.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The wall of waves killed 220,000 people in countries around the Indian Ocean, including 168,000 in Indonesia.</p>