While the search for missing earthquake victims in Aceh has been intensified, people in western Sumatra were left in fear when a 6.1-magnitude earthquake jolted Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra, on Saturday at 12:05 p.m.

The quake, which was also felt in the Sumatra cities of Padang, Jambi and Bengkulu, caused panic among residents, but officials said there were no reports of damage or fatalities.

'€œWe ran out of our house in panic, but after waiting for a while, we returned to our activities as the quake was apparently not that strong,'€ said Supri Lindra, a resident of Mentawai Islands, over the phone.

Other residents were fearful of possible aftershocks hitting the region.

'€œThe quake was traumatic for me. There would have to be aftershocks after that [first quake],'€ said Supri, a resident of Sikakap district in North Pagai, as quoted by Antara on Saturday.

He said people poured into the streets when the quake occurred.

'€œThey ran out of their houses for fear that their roofs would fall on them,'€ Supri added.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nuegroho said that the epicenter of the quake was 36 kilometers deep in the sea, 149 kilometers southeast of Mentawai Islands; or 164 kilometers southwest of Muko-Muko regency, Bengkulu; or 184 kilometers southwest of Sungai Penuh city, Jambi.

The quake did not have the potential to trigger a tsunami, he said as reported by Antara.

Based on the US Geological Survey (USGS), Sutopo said the intensity of the quake was strong in the village of Sinaka in South Pagai district, which is some 30 kilometers from the epicenter.

He said the quake was felt to a lesser degree in Sikakap district in North Pagai, while it was slightly felt in Padang and South Pesisir regency, both in West Sumatra.

The quake, however, felt quite strong in Muko-Muko and North Bengkulu for 10 to 15 seconds. '€œPeople fled from their homes, but the quake caused no damage. Our officials are still checking the latest condition in South Pagai,'€ said Sutopo.

Saturday'€™s quake in Mentawai happened four days after a 6.2-magnitude quake in Aceh on July 2 that killed dozens of people, displaced thousands of others and damaged thousands of houses and buildings.

Meanwhile in Aceh, rescuers are searching for missing people believed to have been buried by landslides in Bah and Serempah villages near a mountain slope in Ketol district, Central Aceh regency.

Alhariri, a rescuer with Central Communication (Senkom), said heavy equipment and sniffer dogs had arrived at the scene.

Bah and Serempah are thought to be the worst-hit areas, since landslides also hit the two villages. Alhariri said that at least seven people were still unaccounted for in the landslides.

Aceh Tengah Regent Nasaruddin said that all survivors of Bah and Serempah would be relocated since the villages could no longer be inhabited as they were prone to natural disasters.

Indonesia is prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Ring of Fire, a region of seismic activity encircling the Pacific Basin.

In 2004, an earthquake with a 9.1 magnitude struck off Aceh, triggering a tsunami that claimed the lives of 230,000 people in various countries.

Popular

RI, Australia strengthen partnership on taxing crypto assets

Analysis: Indonesia denies normalization with Israel to enter OECD

Citroen to produce electric cars in Indonesia