Earthquake Of Magnitude 6.1 Strikes Indonesia’s Aceh Province Killing One
A magnitude-6.1 earthquake struck Indonesia’s Aceh province on Tuesday at 07:37 a.m. UTC (3:37 a.m. EDT), killing at least one and leaving two others missing, the Associated Press reported.
The epicenter of the quake, which originated six miles beneath the surface, was located 34 miles west of the town of Bireun, near the western coast of Sumatra island, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
No tsunami warnings were issued following the quake, which injured dozens and damaged several houses in Takengon, the capital of Central Aceh district, AP reported.
People ran out of their homes when the quake hit, AP reported, citing residents of Bukit Sama village in Central Aceh district, where the quake has led to a power outage.
“I see many houses were damaged and their roofs fell onto some people,” a Bukit Sama village resident told AP. “Many people were injured but it is difficult to evacuate them due to traffic jams.”
Indonesia is prone to seismic activity, due to its location on the Pacific Basin’s “Ring of Fire,” a 25,000-mile-long stretch where earthquakes are common, although only a small percentage are strong enough to be felt.
The 2004 tsunami that killed about 230,000 people across Asia was triggered by a massive 9.1-magnitude quake off Aceh.
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