Earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale hits the coast of Indonesia, triggering a tsunami warning
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake that struck west of the Indonesian island of Sumatra has issued a tsunami warning lasting about two hours.
The tsunami warning, which asked local authorities to immediately instruct residents of the affected area to move away from the coast, has since been lifted.
The Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC) had previously estimated the quake at a magnitude of 6.9.
The earthquake, at a depth of 84 kilometers, took place around 03:00 on Tuesday. A number of aftershocks were later detected, and one recorded a magnitude of 5.0, data from Indonesia’s geophysics agency showed.
The agency said authorities were collecting data from the islands closest to the epicenter off the west coast of Sumatra, spokesman Abdul Muhari said.
In Padang, the capital of West Sumatra, the earthquake was strongly felt and some people moved away from the beaches, said Abdul, who was in Padang.
“People left their homes. Some were panicked but under control. Currently, some of them are evacuating away from the sea,” he said, adding that he had not seen any damage so far.
Local news footage showed some Padang residents evacuating to higher ground by motorcycle and on foot. Some carried rucksacks while others huddled under umbrellas against the rain.
‘People had already been evacuated on the island of Siberut. They have been told to remain in the evacuation area until the tsunami warning is lifted,” a local Noviandri official told TvOne.
Indonesia is regularly hit by earthquakes because it straddles the Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active zone where several plates of the Earth’s crust meet.