Strong 6.0 magnitude earthquake hit near Sumatra, Indonesia, days after deadly temblor
A strong 6.0-magnitude quake struck off Indonesia’s Sumatra on Saturday, according to a US Geologic Survey (USGS) report, just days after a quake hit Aceh, on Sumatra’s northern tip, killing some three dozen people and injuring hundreds.
Photo/CIA
The quake struck on Saturday at a shallow depth of just 23 kilometers, off the west coast of the vast island and 154 kilometers south-west of Sungaipenuh, the USGS said.
Hardimansyah Maitam, a local maritime patrol officer, said residents in Sikakap town on North Pagai, an island in the Mentawai chain, poured into the streets and ran to higher ground as the quake struck, USA Today reports.
There are no reports of damage and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a tsunami alert.
This temblor follows a powerful 6.1 magnitude quake that hit Tuesday, which besides killing 35, but also triggered landslides and displaced thousands.
In 2004, a magnitude-9.1 earthquake off Aceh triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in 14 countries.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
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