Thaindian News

JAKARTA (BNO NEWS) — A powerful earthquake struck off the west coast of Northern Sumatra in Indonesia on Sunday, seismologists said. Tsunami warnings were briefly issued but were later cancelled when sea level readings indicated no tsunami waves had been generated.

The 7.2-magnitude earthquake at 12.59 p.m. local time was centered about 220 kilometers (135 miles) south-southeast from Banda Aceh, the provincial capital of Aceh. It struck about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the Badan Meteorologi Klimatologi dan Geofisika (BMKG), Indonesia’s seismological agency.

The U.S. Geological Survey initially measured the strength of the earthquake at 7.4 on the Richter scale, but later revised it down to 7.2.

The worst-hit area appeared to be the city of Meulaboh, which is about 60 kilometers (37.2 miles) from the earthquake epicenter. The U.S. Geological Survey estimated that some 353,000 people were exposed to ’severe’ shaking which could result in ‘heavy’ damage to vulnerable structures.

Meulaboh, the capital of West Aceh Regency, was largely destroyed on December 26, 2004 when a 9.1-magnitude earthquake sent massive tsunami waves crashing into the city, killing tens of thousands of people there.

“Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though some resistant structures exist,” the U.S. Geological Survey said, saying that recent earthquakes in the area have caused tsunamis and landslides.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center - which briefly issued a tsunami watch for Indonesia but later canceled it - said no tsunami had been generated. “Sea level readings indicate that a significant tsunami was not generated,” the agency said in an information bulletin. “Therefore the tsunami watch issued by this center is now cancelled.”

The BMKG briefly issued a tsunami warning for nearby coastlines, but later cancelled it too when there was no evidence of tsunami activity.

The European Commission Joint Research Centre further said the region has a high vulnerability to natural disasters, meaning the earthquake could potentially have a high humanitarian impact.

Indonesia is on the so-called Ring of Fire, an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

There was no immediate word on damage or casualties from the earthquake.

On Wednesday, a strong 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck about 135 kilometers (85 miles) west-southwest of Bengkulu in Sumatra, causing no damage or casualties.