Monday , January 20 2025

Hundreds evacuated in Indonesia after magnitude 6.1 earthquake

12-09-2022

JAKARTA: About 200 people were evacuated to higher ground after an earthquake of magnitude 6.1 struck islands in western Indonesia on Sunday, causing some property damage, the country’s disaster mitigation agency BNPB said.

The quake in the Mentawai Islands west of Sumatra struck at a depth of 27 km (17 miles) and was followed by one of magnitude 5.3 in the same area, authorities said. There was no danger of tsunami.

One person was injured in the head by falling wood, and a school and health centre were among properties slightly damaged, the disaster agency said.

Mentawai resident Nurjuli Hasanah told Reuters the quake felt strong and shook her wooden house. “Some of (the residents) are still in an evacuation shelter and some have gone back home,” she said.

Also on Sunday, east of the vast Indonesian archipelago, an earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck the Eastern New Guinea region in Papua New Guinea, reportedly damaging property and spreading panic among residents.

Indonesia straddles the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, where different tectonic plates of the Earth’s crust meet and create frequent seismic activity. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)

Check Also

German ambassador warns of Trump plan to redefine constitutional order

20-01-2025 UNITED NATIONS: Germany’s ambassador to the United States has warned that the incoming Trump …