5.8 Magnitude Quake Hits Mentawai Island

Pariaman, W Sumatra, Dec 17 (Antara) - An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter Scale shook Mentawai Islands off the western coast of Sumatra on Wednesday. "Some local residents rushed outdoors when the earthquake occurred. However, the 5.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Mentawi did not cause panic," Head of the Disaster Mitigation Board (BPBD) of Mentawai Islands district Hati Samaura said. "The local people are accustomed to feeling tremors. When the earthquake occurred, they rushed outdoors to see whether it had led to a tsunami," he stated. Although the earthquake did not cause a tsunami, Samaura asked local residents to remain vigilant. "Based on the preliminary report, the 5.8-magnitude earthquake neither caused damage to houses, nor claimed lives," he affirmed. According to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the epicenter of the earthquake, which struck at 1.10 p. m. local time, was located at 3.88 degrees southern latitude and 100.07 degrees eastern longitude, which is 192 kilometers southeast of Mentawai Islands district, at a depth of 10 kilometers. The earthquake did not have the potential to cause a tsunami, the agency noted. In July 2013, Mentawai Islands was hit by an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1. The quake, which had also been felt in the cities of Padang, Jambi and Bengkulu in Sumatra, had caused panic among residents, but officials had assured that there were no reports of damage or fatalities.