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Strong Earthquake Jolted Western Indonesia, No Casualty Reported

JAKARTA– A powerful earthquake struck off Indonesia’s western province of West Sumatra today, but did not leave casualties, officials and an agency said.

Earlier, the country’s meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency released a 6.1-magnitude earthquake, and then revised it to a 6.2 Richter scale, Head of the Quake and Tsunami Division of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, Daryono, said.

“The 6.1 magnitude is fast information, the 6.2 is an accurate figure,” he said.

The agency reported that the quake struck at 06:10 Jakarta time today (2310 GMT Saturday) with the epicentre at 161 km north-west of Mentawai islands district, and the depth of 10 km under the seabed.

The tremors of the earthquake did not have the potential to trigger a tsunami, it said.

But, more than 2,000 residents in the district immediately ran to higher grounds, for fear of a tsunami, said Amir Ahmari, head of the emergency and logistic unit of the district’s disaster management and mitigation agency.

“One woman was injured as she was hit by a falling wood, while escaping the quake. Cracks are found in two school buildings here,” he said.

Head of the Operation Unit of West Sumatra province, Jumaidi, said that, aid, including logistics and others have been sent to the quake-affected areas.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

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