Quake strikes Bengkulu, stirs panic

A 4.4-magnitude earthquake jolted in Bengkulu on Friday, stirring panic among residents of North Bengkulu and Kepahiang regencies, where the tremor was strongly felt.

Antara new agency reported that a number of people ran for safety as they were queuing at a gas station in Aga Makmur in North Bengkulu.

A local resident said the temblor reminded him of a mild quake that preceded a devastating earthquake last year, which displaced thousands of people in the regency.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency located the epicenter of the quake in the Indian Ocean at 30 kilometers northwest of North Bengkulu at a depth of 67 kilometers beneath the sea floor.

Strong quakes struck Bengkulu in 2000 and 2009, claiming dozens of lives.