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Indonesia earthquake: At least two dead and country ‘on alert’ after powerful 6.2-magnitude quake

25 Feb 2022

Police officers help to evacuate patients after a magnitude 6.2 earthquake damaged a local hospital in Indonesia's West Sumatra province. AFP

Gulf Today Report

Two people have been killed and at least 20 injured after an earthquake of 6.2 magnitude struck Indonesia’s Sumatra island on Friday morning.

Tremors were felt in neighbouring countries including Malaysia and Singapore, and strongly shook nearby cities of Padang in Indonesia’s West Sumatra province and in Pekanbaru in Riau Province.

The casualties and injuries were reported in West Pasaman district, which is closest to the epicentre, National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) chief Suharyanto said at a media briefing.

He added that the quake had triggered a landslide in the district and caused dozens of houses and buildings to collapse.

Patients in a hospital in West Pasaman were evacuated from the building, reported Reuters.

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Videos on local television channels showed people running out of buildings in panic in Padang, the capital of the West Sumatra province.

According to the country’s geophysics agency BMKG, the quake occurred on land at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles).

The US Geological Survey said the earthquake struck north-northwest of Bukittinggi, a hilly town in West Sumatra province.

“We continue to monitor and advise people to remain on alert,” said Dwikorita Karnawati, the head of BMKG, to MetroTV.

“Because this is on land, and the scale is above 6, we are concerned that it could cause some damage.”

The authorities nonetheless said that there was no risk of a tsunami.

Due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia is prone to high seismic activity.

In January the country’s Java island was struck by a powerful 6.7-magnitude earthquake.

And in December an undersea earthquake of magnitude 7.3 struck off the coast of Indonesia’s Flores Island, prompting the country’s monitoring agency to issue a tsunami warning, which was later called off.