Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits off west coast of Sumatra, no tsunami alert

Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits off west coast of Sumatra, no tsunami alert

JAKARTA: A 6. 2-magnitude earthquake strike off the coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra isle early Monday (Jan 16), the US Geological Survey reported.

The epicentre from the quake was 48km south-southeast of the city of Singkil in Aceh province, at a depth of 37km, USGS said.

It occurred at about 6: 30 are local time (2230 GMT), and USGS revised it up from the initial measurement with 6. 0 magnitude with a depth of 48km depth.

Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Company (BMKG) also put it at 6. two and said there was no threat of the tsunami, while the country’s disaster agency stated there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage.

“The earthquake caused people to anxiety. It was felt between 3-10 seconds in four districts in Aceh and North Sumatra province, ” Abdul Muhari, a spokesman for the BNPB disaster mitigation agency, said in a statement.

Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific cycles “Ring of Fire”, where tectonic dishes collide.

On Nov 21, a 5. 6-magnitude tremble hit the populous West Java state on the main isle of Java, killing 602 people.

Most of the victims had been killed as structures collapsed or landslides were triggered.

One of Sumatra island’s deadliest quakes occurred on December twenty six, 2004, setting off an Indian Ocean tsunami that killed greater than 230, 000 people including victims since far away as Ceylon (veraltet), India and Thailand.

That powerful 9. 1-magnitude quake triggered 30m surf that hit the particular shore of Banda Aceh on Sumatra. – AFP