Quake sparks panic
2005-04-10 14:11
Jakarta - A powerful earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale struck off the west coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island on Sunday sparking panic among people fearing a repeat of the tsunami disaster, officials said.
There were no reports of casualties or damage from the quake, which hit at 17:29 near Siberut Island, 109km southwest of the Sumatra town of Painan, according to seismologists.
The tremor comes two weeks after a massive 8.7 earthquake centred on the same Indian Ocean geological faultline killed more than 600 people as scores of concrete buildings collapsed on the Indonesian island of Nias.
Nerves are on a knife-edge following the last big quake, which revived traumatic memories of the December 26 tsunami disaster that killed more than 220 000 people around the Indian Ocean, mainly Indonesians.
The latest tremor, which was felt as far away as Singapore, sparked panic in the Sumatra port city of Padang, with many people fleeing their homes for higher ground.
City mayor Fauzi Bahar made a radio broadcast urging people not to remain in their homes. Residents in Padang say many people have already moved out of the city amid rumours of an imminent disaster.
Scientists have said that the Indian Ocean faultline could be poised to deliver another major seismic shockwave, equal to the magnitude 9.3 jolt that unleashed the tsunami.