Damage and deaths reported after 6.2 magnitude quake off Indonesia coast

A strong and shallow earthquake has hit off the coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra island, killing two people and injuring 20.

The quake also damaged buildings and caused panic among people in Sumatra as well as neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore.

The US Geological Survey said the earthquake had a 6.2 magnitude and struck about 41 miles north-northwest of Bukittinggi, a hilly town in the province of West Sumatra.

It struck about 7.4 miles below the Earth’s surface.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said at least two people were killed in the district of West Pasaman – the closest area to the epicentre – 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 quake sending streams of panicked people into the streets in Padang, the capital of the province of West Sumatra, and patients in a hospital at West Pasaman were being evacuated from the building.

People in neighbouring 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.

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

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.