Indonesia: Deadly 6.2-magnitude quake hits Sumatra

An earthquake shook the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing at least two people and injuring several others.

A woman reacts as she stands at the ruin of her house following an earthquake in West Pasaman district, West Sumatra, Indonesia on February 25, 2022. The strong and shallow earthquake rocked Sumatra, panicking people on the island and neighboring Malaysia and Singapore.

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck near the western coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island on February 25, leaving at least two people dead. "For now we have information that two people died and 20 others were injured," Suharyanto, the chief of the National Disaster Management Agency told the media.

Several houses and other buildings were also damaged in the quake. Authorities released photos showing collapsed homes and a school in the West Pasaman district with its ceiling blown open. The quake also triggered a landslide that buried homes in West Pasaman district, officials said. No tsunami warning was issued.

The strong and shallow earthquake hit the islands north at a depth of 12 kilometers (7.5 miles), the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. Residents said the quake came minutes after a less violent earthquake recorded by USGS as 5.0 magnitude. The tremors were felt strongly in the nearby cities of Padang in West Sumatra province and in Pekanbaru in Riau Province.

The shocks were also felt as far away as Malaysia and Singapore. "Earth tremors were... felt in certain parts of Singapore at about 9:45 a.m.," a police statement said. The police and emergency services said they "received several calls from the public reporting these tremors."

Malaysia's meteorological department said in a tweet that "vibrations" were felt by people in the peninsula's western states. "Vibrations felt in the western Peninsular area especially in Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor," the department said.

dvv/sms (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)