Jakarta: A 7.3-magnitude earthquake, potentially triggering a tsunami, struck Indonesia’s western province of Sumatra early Tuesday, the Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics said. The earthquake occurred at 03:00 Jakarta time (2000 GMT Monday), with its epicenter 177 km northwest of Mentawai island district and a depth of 84 km under the sea, Xinhua news agency reported.
Tsunami warning issued
A tsunami warning has been issued by the agency, as earthquake tremors have the potential to trigger huge waves. A powerful earthquake in eastern Indonesia sent streams of people to higher ground before the tsunami threat had passed. Footage released by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency showed people in a village on Mentawai island fleeing in the dark in the pouring rain on foot and by motorbike to the highlands, while the village hospital carried some patients into its yard Because cracks appeared in the facility’s ground.
Tremors were felt in districts and cities in West Sumatra and North Sumatra provinces, and evacuations to higher ground were ordered in some places. Agency spokesman Abdul Muhri said people living in parts of West Sumatra province, including the provincial capital of Padang, felt the quake for about 30 seconds.
#Unique Aftermath of the earthquake in West Sumatera, Indonesia
Fearing a tsunami, people rushed to evacuate themselves
Tuesday, 25 April 2023 pic.twitter.com/P2SOWEbbdV
— AgraPran (@agra3479) April 24, 2023
Many residents of several villages on Mentawai island chose to remain displaced to higher ground even though the tsunami warning had been lifted due to fears of aftershocks, he said, adding that officials were still gathering information about the damage. Are.
The US Geological Survey said the 7.1-magnitude earthquake was centered 170 kilometers (105 mi) southeast of Teluk Dalam, a coastal town in North Sumatra’s South Nias Regency, at a depth of 15 kilometers (9 mi). Aftershocks were measured as strong as 5.8.
After the initial tsunami warning, Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency lifted it just before dawn, about two hours after the earthquake. The agency initially placed an initial magnitude of 7.3, but later revised it to 6.9. Variations in initial measurements are common.
The head of the agency’s earthquake and tsunami center, Daryono, who goes by the same name, said based on sea level observations, a minor tsunami of 11 cm (4.3 in) hit the Tanah Bala coastal area in South Nias regency. was detected.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago of 270 million people, is frequently affected by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. In November, a magnitude 5.6 earthquake killed at least 340 people and damaged more than 62,600 homes in part of West Java.