West Indonesia is shaken by earthquake, although little immediate damage is reported

(MENAFN) Residents of Indonesia's Sumatra Island were shaken late Tuesday by a powerful underwater earthquake, but there were no initial reports of significant injuries or damage.

According to the US Geological Survey, the 6.0-magnitude earthquake had its epicenter 117 kilometers (72 miles) south of Pagar Alam city in South Sumatra province at a depth of 59 kilometers (36 miles).

Many inhabitants reportedly fled their homes for higher ground, according to witnesses, but then received text messages stating that there was no threat of a tsunami.

The earthquake was too deep to cause a tsunami, according to the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, which gave it a magnitude of 6.5.

Due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines, Indonesia, a huge archipelago with 270 million inhabitants, is frequently affected by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis.

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck West Sumatra province in February resulted in at least 25 fatalities and over 460 injuries. A magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck West Sulawesi province in January 2021 resulted in more than 100 fatalities and approximately 6,500 injuries.

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