A series of aftershocks were recorded Tuesday off the western coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra island a day after a powerful earthquake hit the area but caused little damage, officials said.
The initial quake, measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale, jolted the Mentawai islands, off West Sumatra province at about 9:42 pm (1442 GMT) Monday.
At least nine aftershocks up to magnitude 6.2 on the Richter scale were recorded after the initial quake. The latest 5.0—magnitude aftershock hit around 6:13 am (2313 GMT Monday), according to the Meteorology, Geophysics and Climatology Agency (BMKG).
One house was heavily damaged on Mentawai island, but there were no reports of injury, said Mariyadi, an official the National Disaster Management Agency, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name. Monday’s quake was also felt strongly at several towns on the western Sumatra, panicking residents in Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province, BMKG officials said.
It was the latest earthquake to strike western coast of Sumatra in recent months.
A 7.6—magnitude earthquake hit Padang and neighbouring districts on Java in September last year, killing more than 1,100 people.
