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North Sumatra residents urged to be on alert for aftershocks
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Local people wait outside of their houses after an earthquake struck Deli Serdang regency in North Sumatra on Tuesday. (Antara/Irsan Mulyadi)
T
he Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned residents of North Sumatra to be on alert for aftershocks following the 5.2-magnitude earthquake, centered in Sibolangit, Deli Serdang, that hit the province in the early hours on Tuesday.
North Sumatra areas have been experiencing intense jolts of varied magnitude in the past month. The agency recorded 185 earthquakes in North Sumatra since Jan. 16 up to Tuesday, spokesman of BMKG's Medan office Syahnan said.
"The strongest was on Jan. 18, which was a 5.6-magnitude earthquake and the second one occurred early morning on Tuesday and was a magnitude of 5.2 on the Richter scale," he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
The BMKG urged people to remain calm and only follow instructions from relevant agencies, such as the BMKG and the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) as well as the local administration, Syahnan said.
He also asked the public, especially those living on the west coast of North Sumatra, not to panic as the earthquakes did not have the potential to bring a tsunami. Beyond Sibolangit, the effects of the high-intensity earthquakes have been felt in places like Berastagi and Medan.
Official of Karo's BPBD Natanail Peranginangin said the Tuesday earthquake shocked local people who decided to remain outside of their houses for safety measures.
