At least 2 dead after 6.2-magnitude earthquake hits Indonesia’s Sumatra island

A strong and shallow earthquake hit off the coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra island on Friday, killing 2 people and injuring 20, damaging buildings and panicking people in Sumatra island and neighboring Malaysia and Singapore.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake measured 6.2 magnitude and struck about 66 kilometers (41 miles) north-northwest of Bukittinggi, a hilly town in West Sumatra province. It struck about 12 kilometers (7.4 miles) below the Earth’s surface.

Suharyanto, head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, said at least two people were killed in West Pasaman district — the closest area to the epicenter — and 20 others were injured as dozens of houses and buildings reportedly collapsed. He said the earthquake has also triggered a landslide in the district.

Dwikorita Karnawati, head of Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency, said there was no danger of a tsunami but warned of possible aftershocks.

Television reports showed the strong temblor sending streams of panicked people into the streets in Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province, and patients in a hospital at West Pasaman were being evacuated from the building.

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People in neighboring Malaysia and Singapore also reportedly felt the tremors. A video that circulated on social media showed residents gathered in streets after high-rises in Kuala Lumpur swayed for a few seconds. Witnesses reported seeing their doors and chairs shaking and photos and paintings fixed to the walls trembling.

Hamsuardi, the West Pasaman district head, said Friday’s earthquake caused damage to dozens of houses and buildings, including his office. Authorities are still collecting information about the full scale of damage in the affected areas.

In January 2021, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed at least 105 people and injured nearly 6,500 in West Sulawesi province.

Indonesia has a number of seismic faults and is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. A powerful Indian Ocean quake and tsunami in 2004 killed nearly 230,000 people in a dozen countries, most of them in Indonesia.