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6.2-magnitude tremor hits west coast of North Sumatra, no damage reported
No reports on damaged structures or injured people were made following a 6.2-magnitude earthquake that struck the west coast of North Sumatra on Monday night.
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Students take cover under their desks during an earthquake and tsunami drill on Aug. 15, 2017 at SDN 2 Tanjung Benoa elementary school in Badung, Bali, as part of the United Nations Development Programme’s disaster response project in 18 Asia-Pacific countries. (Antara/Nyoman Budhiana)
A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit the west coast of North Sumatra on Monday night, sending thousands of residents fleeing their homes.
No damage or injury was reported.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) stated that the epicenter of the quake, which occurred at 9:59 p.m., was located at a depth of 95 kilometers in an area 93 km southwest of Padang Sidempuan.
Padang Sidempuan Mayor Irsan Efendi Nasution said the strong earthquake was felt in the city.
“However, there has been no report of injury or damage. Communication lines also remain intact,” Irsan said on Monday.
The mayor added that officers from the local disaster mitigation agency (BPBD) had been deployed to monitor the situation.
Residents in West Sumatra also felt the tremor. “It shook in Padang,” said Yuke, who lives in the provincial capital.
The earthquake was also felt in other areas in the province, such as West Pasaman, Pasaman, Agam, Pariaman and Solok.
The quake was also felt in the Nias Islands, a chain of small islands off the west coast of Sumatra.
“The earthquake was very strong. Our house was shaking hard, so we ran outside,” said Suher, a resident of Teluk Dalam in South Nias regency. He added that the tremor lasted a long time.
On Jan. 26, a 6.2-magnitude earthquake also occurred off the western coast of Sumatra, its epicenter at a depth of 37 km in waters 48 km south-southeast of Singkil, Aceh province.
Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity because it is located on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide.
One of the deadliest earthquakes this century occurred off the western coast of Sumatra on Dec. 26, 2004, when a 9.1-magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami in the Indian Ocean that had reached a height of 30 meters when it crashed along the coastline of Banda Aceh.
Around 230,000 people were killed in the disaster, including victims as far away as Sri Lanka, India and Thailand, while the death toll reached 167,540 Indonesia alone, according to UNESCO. (dre)
