Hundreds evacuated in west Indonesia after magnitude 6.1 earthquake

Reuters

Published Sep 11, 2022 01:15AM ET

JAKARTA (Reuters) -About 200 people evacuated to higher ground after an earthquake of magnitude 6.1 struck islands in western Indonesia on Sunday, causing some property damage, the country's disaster mitigation agency BNPB said.

The quake in the Mentawai Islands west of Sumatra struck at a depth of 27 km (17 miles) and was followed by one of magnitude 5.3 in the same area, authorities said. There was no danger of tsunami.

One person was injured in the head by falling wood, and a school and health centre were among properties slightly damaged, the disaster agency said.

Mentawai resident Nurjuli Hasanah told Reuters the quake felt strong and shook her wooden house. "Some of (the residents) are still in an evacuation shelter and some have gone back home,” she said.