6.2-magnitude quake strikes off western Indonesia, no casualties reported

Jakarta, Nov 2 (SocialNews.XYZ) A 6.2-magnitude earthquake jolted Indonesia's western province of North Sumatra at early hours on Tuesday with no immediate report on damages or casualties, a local disaster official said.

The quake did not trigger giant waves of tsunami, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The quake struck at 00:04 a.m. Jakarta time on Tuesday (1704 GMT Monday) with the epicentre at 130 km southwest of Nias Barat district and the depth at 16 km under the seabed, according to the agency.

The tremors were also felt in nearby provinces of West Sumatra and Aceh, it added.

The intensity of the quake was felt at III to IV MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) in the North Sumatra province's districts of Nias Barat, Nias Selatan and Nias Utara as well as West Sumatra province's district of Mentawai islands, it said.

The shakes were also felt at II to III MMI in Aceh province's Singkil district and North Sumatra province's town of Gunung Sitoli, it added.

In both provinces, there were no preliminary reports of damages or those wounded after the quake, a senior disaster agency official told Xinhua through phone on Tuesday.

"So far, there were no houses or buildings destroyed by the jolts. The situation is safe here. No one was injured and no casualty was reported," said Agus Wibisono, Head of the Nias search and rescue office with working areas, including the districts of Nias Barat, Nias Selatan, Nias Utara and Gunung Sitoli town.

In Mentawai islands district, West Sumatra province, the tremors did not cause any damage or leave any casualty, but risk assessment on the impact of the quake is being undertaken, said Amir Ahmari, Head of emergency and logistics unit of the district disaster management agency.

"We have not got any reports of houses damaged or residents injured. The shakes were felt weak," he added.

Source: IANS