Damage and injuries as quake rocks Indonesia

  • 02/06/2016
(file)
(file)

At least 16 people have been injured and 64 houses damaged after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake rocked the western part of Sumatra island.

Two people suffered serious injuries after they were knocked down by building debris in the West Sumatra provincial capital Padang, said National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Sutopo Nugroho.

Damage and injuries were also reported in Mukomuko district in Bengkulu province and Pesisir Selatan in West Sumatra, he said.

"The large area and rain is making information gathering difficult," Sutopo said.

He said electricity also went out.

The quake occurred at 5:56am on Thursday (local time) with the epicentre 79km southwest of Pesisir Selatan, at a depth of 72km, according to the Meteorology, Geophysics and Climatology Agency.

A resident in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra province, said the tremor was felt strongly there.

"Residents ran out of their homes and stayed outside for some time because they were afraid of an aftershock," a man identified as Epi was quoted as saying by Antara news agency. Many Indonesians go by only one name.

DPA