Hundreds evacuated as magnitude 6.1 earthquake hits Indonesia

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck islands in western Indonesia forcing the evacuation of about 200 people to higher ground on Sunday.

Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency BNPB said the quake in the Mentawai Islands west of Sumatra struck at a depth of 27 km (17 miles) and was followed by one of magnitude 5.3 in the same area.

Authorities said the earthquake caused property damage but there was no danger of a tsunami.

One person was injured in the head by falling wood, and a school and health center were among properties slightly damaged, the disaster agency said.

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Mentawai resident Nurjuli Hasanah said the quake felt strong and shook her wooden house.

“Some of (the residents) are still in an evacuation shelter and some have gone back home,” she said.

Also on Sunday, east of the vast Indonesian archipelago, an earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck the Eastern New Guinea region in Papua New Guinea, reportedly damaging property and spreading panic among residents.

Indonesia straddles the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, where different tectonic plates of the Earth’s crust meet and create frequent seismic activity.

Zainab Sa’id