The third earthquake to shake the region since early Monday struck off the coast of Sumatra island in Indonesia with a magnitude of 6.1, according to the nation’s geophysics office.
Just before 10.30am, the shallow earthquake off the Mentawai islands, off the west coast of Sumatra, was detected by Indonesia’s meteorological and geophysics agency (BMKG), which reported that it did not cause a tsunami warning.
According to a BMKG official, the agency originally reported a magnitude of 6.4 but then reduced it to 6.1.Since the early hours of Monday, there have been three earthquakes that have occurred in quick succession, each becoming more powerful. A 5.2-magnitude tremor occurred before daybreak, and a 5.4-magnitude earthquake was felt less than an hour later.
Residents of the Mentawai islands, the province capital of Padang, and the neighbouring hilly region of Bukitinggi all reported feeling the 6.1-magnitude earthquake strongly for many seconds, according to a statement from the disaster service.
On Siberut island, there was minimal structure damage, according to the agency, but no reports of injuries.Separately, Novriadi, a Mentawai disaster administrator, told Reuters that people had been evacuated from numerous villages to higher ground and that a nearby church, school, and medical centre had suffered minor damage.
The disaster agency issued a call to calm down and issued a warning about the possibility of aftershocks.In 2009, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake that hit Padang resulted in more than 1,100 fatalities, numerous injuries, and extensive property damage.
The so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” where various tectonic plates of the Earth’s crust collide and frequently produce seismic activity, crosses Indonesia.