Magnitude-5.4 Earthquake Jolts Mandailing Natal

Jakarta, (Antaranews Sumbar) - A tectonic earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale jolted Mandailing Natal district in North Sumatra at 8.35 am Western Indonesia Standard Time (WIB) on Thursday bud did not have a potential to trigger a tsunami.

But local Meteorology and Geophysics Office (BMKG) spokesman Moch Riyadi in a statement made available to Antara here on Thusday said he had called on the local residents to stay calm and not be affected by issues that cannot be accounted for.

Riyadi said the epicenter of the earthquake was located at the coordinate of 0,91 degree Northern Latitude and 98.63 degrees Eastern Longitude at a depth of 98 km in the Indian Ocean, west of Mandailing Natal district.

The shocks of the earthquake were felt by the people in the area of Aek Godang, Padang Sidempuan, Panyabungan, Sibuhuan, Gunung Tua, Sipirok, Sibolga, Nias, Lubuk Basung, Pariaman, and Pasaman.

As Indonesia is situated in the Pacific "Ring of Fire", the country is more prone to earthquakes.

Earlier on Monday, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake rattled parts of Papua province but the Jayapura District Natural Disaster Mitigation Board (BPBD) has received no report of material damage or casualties.

The quake occurred on the ground at 02.44 a.m. local time, about 450 kilometers southeast of Jayapura city and at a depth of 17 kilometers, chief of the board.

Semuel, a resident of Doyo Baru-Sentani in Jayapura district, noted that he felt the quake at around 02.30 a.m. local time.

"The quake lasted for almost two to three minutes. Though it was not strong enough, it could wake up somebody from sleep," he remarked.

The tremor did not cause any damage to buildings, but it only sparked panic, he revealed.

Ling, a resident of Belud-Waena, stated that the quake forced her and the neighbors to rush outdoors.

"Since the quake occurred at dawn, residents were shocked and rushed outdoors. However, half an hour later, they returned to their houses," she explained. (*)