Magnitude 5.5 earthquake strikes northern Sumatera, no tsunami threat to Malaysia

8 Mar 2026 • 5:38 PM MYT
The Vibes
The Vibes

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A MODERATE earthquake measuring 5.5 magnitude struck northern Sumatra, Indonesia, at 2.05pm on Sunday, according to the Malaysian Meteorological Department.

The department said the earthquake originated at coordinates 2.1 degrees north latitude and 96.7 degrees east longitude, at a depth of approximately 10 kilometres beneath the Earth’s surface.

The epicentre was located about 118 kilometres southeast of Simeulue.

In an advisory, the agency confirmed that the seismic activity did not pose any tsunami threat to Malaysia.

“There is no tsunami threat to Malaysia,” the department said in its statement.

Earthquakes are relatively common in the Indonesian archipelago, which lies along the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates frequently interact and trigger tremors of varying magnitudes. - March 8, 2026