Magnitude 6.1 quake jolts West Sumatra

PADANG: An 6.1-magnitude earthquake rocked Padang, West Sumatra, at around 8:11 a.m. Wednesday.

There were no immediate reports of injury and damage.

The quake’s epicenter was 56 kilometers southeast of Siberut, in the Mentawai Islands, at a depth of 10 kilometers below sea level, according to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency.

People in Padang and Mentawai  rushed out of their houses.

Bambang Sagurung, a resident in Muara Sikabaluan, North Siberut, said it hit while villagers were preparing for Christmas celebrations.

Around 30 people, who were decorating the Kasih Nangnang Catholic Church in Muara Sikabaluan, fled the building, he added.

On Sept. 30, 2009, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 devastated much of West Sumatra, killing at least 1,117 people.

Experts have warned that Sumatra, which lies near where the Indo-Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, would bear the brunt of Indonesia’s next major earthquake which is expected to unleash a massive amount of energy.

— JP