According to Indonesia's geophysics office (BMKG), a magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurred west of Sumatra Island on Tuesday, sparking a tsunami warning for around two hours.
The tsunami warning, which asked local officials to urgently tell concerned citizens to get away from the coasts, has subsequently been removed.The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) had previously assigned a magnitude of 6.9 to the quake.
The 84-kilometer-deep (52.2-mile-deep) quake struck about 3 a.m. Time in the nearby area. Aftershocks were reported afterwards, with one measuring 5 magnitude, according to BMKG data.
According to Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency, officials are gathering data from the islands closest to the epicentre off the western coast of Sumatra, according to spokeswoman Abdul Muhari.
The tremor was felt powerfully in Padang, the capital of West Sumatra, and some people avoided the beaches, according to Abdul, who was in Padang.
“People left their homes. Some were panicking but under control. Currently some of them are evacuating away from the sea,” he said, adding he had seen no damage so far.
Local news video showed some Padang residents escaping to higher land by motorbike and foot. Some had backpacks, while others hid under an umbrella to avoid the rain.
“On the Siberut island, people had already been evacuated. They have been told to stay at the evacuation area until tsunami warning is lifted,” Noviandri, a local official told TvOne.
Indonesia is prone to earthquakes because it is on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active zone where several plates of the earth's crust collide.
