JAKARTA: A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit an island off the coast of Sumatra in western Indonesia on Thursday (Nov 27), according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), with no immediate reports of damage or tsunami warning.
The quake, which struck Simeulue Island at 11.56am (12.56pm, Singapore time) at a depth of 25km, prompted locals on the island to immediately rush outside.
“I was sitting down at a coffee shop, suddenly the table was shaking. Many people rushed outside of buildings and houses,” Ahmadi, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, told AFP.
“The earthquake was quite long. I think probably around seven seconds or more.”
He said there were several aftershocks, but the tremors were relatively shorter compared to the earlier quake, adding that he had yet to receive any information about damages.
The Indian Ocean tsunami warning centre said after the quake that “there is no threat” of a potential tsunami generated from the quake.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) recorded the quake with a magnitude of 6.3 at a depth of 10km, adding that the jolt did not have the potential to cause a tsunami.
Source: CNA
