A magnitude 6.1 earthquake rattled Indonesia’s Sumatra, causing panic but no major damage or tsunami threat.
BANDA ACEH: A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Tuesday. The US Geological Survey reported the tremor originated offshore from Sumatra’s northeastern tip.
The quake prompted residents in the northernmost Aceh province to flee their homes. “I was at home when it happened… the shaking was really strong,” said 50-year-old Ahmadi from the coastal town of Sinabang.
He described panicking and fleeing his house during the short but intense jolt. Ahmadi added he could see “families running around here on the street”.
Rahmat Triyono, head of Indonesia’s BMKG earthquake and tsunami centre, said people on Simeulue island and east-coast areas of Aceh experienced strong shaking. He noted this likely caused windows and doors to rattle and walls to creak.
Triyono confirmed there was no tsunami risk from the seismic event. Weaker shaking was also reported in other parts of northeast Sumatra.
Indonesia is located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic activity. This makes the vast archipelago nation prone to frequent earthquakes.
In 2004, a magnitude 9.1 quake struck Aceh province, triggering a devastating tsunami. That disaster killed more than 170,000 people in Indonesia alone.
