Girl aged 8 killed in quake off Indonesia, 7 injured

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - Agence France-Presse

Residents flee their homes after a strong earthquake hit in Aceh, Indonesia, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013. A strong, shallow earthquake rocked parts of western Indonesia early Tuesday, killing a 9-year-old girl, panicking residents and ruining homes. Several other people were injured. AP Photo/Heri Juanda

A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia's Aceh province Tuesday, killing an eight-year-old girl and injuring seven others, officials said.

The quake struck 112 kilometres southeast of the provincial capital of Banda Aceh at 22:22 GMT, at a depth of 37 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.

"An eight-year-old girl in Pidie district was killed after a cupboard in her bedroom fell on her when the quake shook the ground," the district's disaster management agency chief Apriyadi, who goes by one name, told AFP.

He added that seven people were injured, four of them seriously, due to collapsing walls.

The Indonesian Meteorology, Geophysics and Climatology Agency (BMKG) issued no tsunami alert.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.