JAKARTA: A strong undersea earthquake early Tuesday sent streams of people fleeing to higher ground in eastern Indonesia before the tsunami danger passed. Footage released by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency showed streams of people in a village on Mentawai Island fled to the highlands by foot and motorcycles under the rain in darkness, while some patients at the
The magnitude 7.1 earthquake was centered 170 kilometers (105 miles) southeast of Teluk Dalam, a coastal town in the South Nias regency of North Sumatra, at a depth of 15 kilometers (9 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey said. Aftershocks measured as strong as 5.8. Indonesia Earthquake: Strong Undersea Quake Damages Hospital in Mentawai Island, Force People to Shift to Highland (Watch Video).
A Tsunami warning has been put in place by Indonesia s National Disaster Mitigation Agency since the tremors of the quake have the potential of triggering giant waves.