sumatra

JAKARTA, Indonesia – A magnitude 7.7 earthquake shook Indonesia’s northwest island of Sumatra early Wednesday, prompting a brief tsunami warning and sending panicked residents rushing for higher ground.

There were scattered reports of injuries, but only minor damage in most areas.

The quake struck at 5:15 a.m. (2215 GMT) and was centered 125 miles (205 kilometers) northwest of the coastal town of Sibolga in Sumatra at a depth of 19 miles (31 kilometers), the U.S. Geological Survey said. It had earlier said the quake measured 7.8.

Indonesia’s Meteorology and Geophysics Agency and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu issued tsunami warnings following the quake, but lifted them two hours later.

A hospital on Simeulue island off the coast of Sumatra admitted 17 people for treatment of injuries sustained in the quake, including four in critical condition, said Capt. Ajas Siagian, a deputy police chief for the area.

Abdul Karim, a government spokesman in Simeulue, said dozens of houses collapsed or were damaged in Teupah Selatan village. He said no larger buildings were reported damaged, but electricity had been knocked out on the island.

“We are still collecting reports of damages and injuries … but the situation has returned to normal and people are going back home,” he said.

Local network Metro TV reported that a dormitory for nurses partially collapsed in Aceh province’s Singkil district and one woman suffered minor injuries in the rush to get out of the building. It said fires sparked by the quake had burned at least 14 houses in Medan, the capital city of North Sumatra province. Electricity was cut in Medan, Banda Aceh, the provincial capital of Aceh, and other areas.

Paulus Prihandojo, another seismologist with the meteorology agency, said along with the quake’s relative depth, the epicenter was too far away from the major population centers of Medan and Banda Aceh to cause major damage.

He said areas closer to the epicenter were more sparsely populated and many of the buildings in that area were made of wood, which fares better in earthquakes than brick and cement.

At least five strong aftershocks measuring up to 5.2 were recorded, the meteorology agency said.

People in several cities along the southeastern coast of Sumatra as well as Sinabang on Simeulue island and Gunung Sitoli on nearby Nias island poured into the streets and rushed to higher ground after the quake.

“Rumors about a tsunami panicked villagers living near the beach,” said Eddy Effendi, a resident on Nias island. “They ran away on motorbikes and cars or by climbing the hills. There was panic and chaos everywhere, but I don’t see serious damage or injuries in my village.”

Residents in Sibolga said the shaking lasted more than a minute and utility poles in the area were knocked down.

The quake was felt as far away as the outskirts of Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur, about 320 miles (515 kilometers) away. There were no reports of damage there.

A 2004 tsunami triggered by a magnitude-9.2 earthquake in the same part of Indonesia killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries on the Indian Ocean basin.

Major quake hits Indonesia, tsunami watch issued

JAKARTA: A major 7.8-magnitude quake hit Indonesia”s northern Sumatra early Wednesday, US seismologists said, triggering a local tsunami watch.

The quake struck at a depth of 46 kilometres (29 miles), just off northern Sumatra, at 5:15 am (2215 GMT Tuesday), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a watch for local tsunamis but said a widespread destructive tsunami was not expected.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.

A massive tsunami hit Indonesia and other countries in the Indian Ocean rim in 2004, killing about 220,000 people, most of them in Aceh province in northern Sumatra.

A 7.6-magnitude quake in West Sumatra province in September last year killed about 1,000 people, according to official figures.

Indonesia powerful earthquake toll between 100-200

Indonesia powerful earthquake toll between 100-200,

JAKARTA: A powerful earthquake off the coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra Island has killed between 100 and 200 people, a disaster agency official said early on Thursday.

Priyadi Kardono, spokesman for the national disaster agency, also said that about 500 houses had collapsed and around 100 people were buried, according to officials in the area.

The quake hit Padang, West Sumatra, on Wednesday afternoon.

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Indonesia powerful earthquake toll between 100-200 was first posted on October 1, 2009 at 7:47 am.