JAKARTA, Indonesia A powerful, shallow natural disaster hit off the southwestern coast of Sumatra in Indonesia on Wednesday, triggering a tsunami warning that sent islanders rushing to high ground.
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“Up until now, there is no information about deaths”, said Heronimus Guru, the agency’s deputy head of operations. It was not immediately known if there was any tsunami threat because of the quake. USGS originally put the magnitude at 8.2, and then 8.1, before lowering it to 7.9 then 7.8. The quake’s epicenter was 409 miles southwest of Muara Siberut, Indonesia, and 500 miles west-southwest of Padang. “In Bengkulu (on southwest coast of Sumatra) they didn’t feel it at all”.
On Pagai, an island off the west coast of Sumatra, resident Jois Zaluchu told Reuters by phone that there were no reports of damage or casualties there.
“We do not believe that there will be an quake of greater strength”, the National Meteorological Agency said, “And so residents are urged to keep calm and not be taken in by rumors”.
A resident of Siberut island, which is closest to the epicenter, said people evacuated to higher ground and were waiting for the tsunami warning to be lifted.
A 7.8 magnitude quake occurred off Mentawai Islands in West Sumatra, Indonesia at 7.58pm (8.58pm in Malaysia) last night; tremors were felt up to Padang in West Sumatra province, Medan and Aceh as well as several states in Malaysia.
And Aceh on the tip of Sumatra was devastated by a quake-triggered tsunami in 2004.
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Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where the meeting of continental plates causes strong seismic activity, and is frequently hit by earthquakes.
