Strong undersea quake causes panic in western Indonesia

Jakarta, August 29

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A strong and shallow undersea earthquake shook western Indonesia on Monday, causing residents to panic, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties.

The quake caused panic in Siberut, a coastal town on Mentawai island, where people ran to higher ground, witnesses told The Associated Press. But no major damages were reported on Mentawai, the closest island to the epicenter.

The 6.4-magnitude earthquake posed no danger of triggering a tsunami, the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said. Smaller earthquakes of magnitude 5.9 and 5.2 also shook the province earlier on Monday.

The US Geological Survey measured the quake at magnitude 5.9 and said it was centered about 170 kilometre west-southwest of Pariaman, a coastal city in West Sumatra province, at a depth of 18 kilometre.

Indonesia is a seismically active archipelago of 270 million people that is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis.