Strong Earthquake Hits Padang
June 06, 2016
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reports that A 6.5-magnitude earthquake has jiggled Padang City, West Sumatra, at 5:56 a.m., early Thursday, in a number of regions, creating panic for local residents, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
The quake was centered 91 kilometers (56 miles) west of Sungaipenuh, a district town in Jambi province in Sumatra or 141 kilometers (88 miles) south of Padang, provincial capital of West Sumatra, the USGS said. It said the quake had a depth of 50.8 kilometers (31.5 miles).
Twitter user @CholinsM tweeted that the quake could be felt up to Singapore. The tweet included with a video recording of a chandelier swinging caused by the quake.
Indonesia is prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. In December 2004, a massive earthquake off Sumatra island triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries.
AP | ANTARA
