Magnitude 6.4 Earthquake Jolts Indonesia’s North Sumatra, No Tsunami Threat

By Nik Nurfaqih Nik Wil

JAKARTA, Aug 15 (Bernama) -- A magnitude 6.4 earthquake jolted Indonesia’s North Sumatra province on Saturday evening, although authorities reported there was no tsunami threat.

The quake struck just hours after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake hit Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara, killing at least 38 people.

Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Earthquake and Tsunami Director Wijayanto said the earthquake occurred at 5.54 pm Western Indonesian Time, with its epicentre on land about 11 kilometres southeast of Simalungun at a depth of 168 km.

No aftershocks had been recorded as of 6.16 pm local time, he added.

"Based on the epicentre location and hypocentre depth, the earthquake was an intermediate-depth earthquake caused by tectonic plate subduction activity," he said in a statement on Saturday.

Wijayanto said the tremors were strongly felt in several areas of North Sumatra, including Tebingtinggi, Kabanjahe and Limapuluh.

He advised residents to remain calm, disregard information from unverified sources and stay away from buildings that had cracked or been damaged by the earthquake.

Earlier on Saturday, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck near Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara at 4.58 am local time, prompting a tsunami warning that BMKG lifted at 7.31 am after sea-level observations showed no further significant rise.

Media reported that the quake and several strong aftershocks killed at least 38 people, while about 2,000 residents evacuated their homes following the disaster.

-- BERNAMA