A powerful earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale struck the Indonesian archipelago of Mentawai west of Sumatra. According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake occurred at 3 a.m. (local time) on Monday.
So the center of the earthquake was in the sea off the Mentawai Islands at a depth of 15.5 kilometers. There were initially no reports of casualties or major damage. Residents said they were startled by the shaking and quickly ran outside. According to official information, the earthquake was also felt in the coastal town of Padang in western Sumatra, 200 kilometers from the epicenter.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Authority (BMKG) even gave the earthquake’s original magnitude as 7.3 and then issued a tsunami warning, canceling it after two hours. The BMKG leader called on residents “of the potential tsunami region to remain calm and avoid the coast”.
More than 600 dead in November earthquake
Due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia is often hit by earthquakes. A magnitude 5.6 earthquake on the main island of Java in November killed more than 600 people.
In 2004, the province of Aceh was badly damaged by an earthquake and tsunami, which killed 170,000 people in Indonesia alone.
Source: Krone
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