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Strong quake hits Indonesia's Sumatra, no tsunami warning

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-08-16 16:50

JAKARTA: An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.9 struck West Sumatra of Sumatra Island in Indonesia on Sunday, injuring four people, the country's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, and Disaster Management Agency said.

The quake struck at 14:38 Jakarta time (0738 GMT) with the epicenter at 43 km southeast Siberut of Mentawai Island in West Sumatra province and at a depth of 32 km under sea bed, head of earthquake department of the meteorology and geophysics agency named only Suharjono told Xinhua by phone.

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The quake has no potential of causing tsunami, he said.

Head of provincial disaster management agency Ade Edward said that the quake wounded four people and collapsed a house in Pandang city, the capital of the province.

"Four people suffered from minor injuries after a ceiling of Ramayana supermarket fell and a house collapsed in Padang city," he told Xinhua over phone from the province.

"All the four have been rushed to a hospital," Edward added.

But, there was no report of damage or casualty in Metawai Island near the epicenter, he said. "The quake only caused panic, resident rushed out of their houses," another provincial agency named Muhrir told Xinhua over phone from the province.

Two shallow after shocks with magnitudes of 5.2  and 5.6 rocked the province following the main shock with a magnitude of 6.9 on Sunday, the meteorology and geophysics agency said.

The 5.2 shock occurred at 15:13 Jakarta time (0813 GMT) with the epicenter at 50 northeast Sipura of Mentawai of West Sumatra province and at a depth of 10 km, the agency said.

About 10 minutes later, the 5.6 after shock struck with the epicenter at 81 km southwest Padang, the capital of the province and at a depth of 10 km, it said.

The archipelago country, with over 17,500 islands, sits on a vulnerable quake-hit zone so called the Pacific ring of Fire, where two continental plates meet, causing frequent seismic and volcanic movements.