By Xinhua
Jakarta : Indonesia lifted the tsunami warning issued after a powerful earthquake measuring 7.2 on Richter scale rocked off western Sumatra Island Monday.
“We have lifted tsunami warning, after more than one hour as there was no sign of tsunami,” said Dwi Hartanto, an official of the national geophysics and meteorology agency.
According to an earlier statement of the agency, the quake struck at 15:36 p.m. with epicentre at 165 km south west of Muko Muko town of the West Sumatra province and at 10 km under seabed. The quake also sparked a tsunami warning of the agency.
Rustam Pakaya, head of crisis centre of the health ministry, said there was no report of casualties and damages from the quake, which was also felt in Jarkata, some nearby provinces as well as in Singapore.
“The quake only resulted in strong shakes, but it did not cause any damage or fatal,” he said.
“Even in the area which is closest with the epicentre, Mentawai Islands (of West Sumatra province), everything is fine,” he added.
Ade Edward, secretary of Disaster Management Agency for West Sumatra, echoed the statement, saying that the quake only triggered panic among some people, who left homes and avoid returning in fear of new aftershocks.
A moderate aftershock with magnitude of 5.0 occurred after the main shock of 7.2 magnitudes, the met agency said.
Sunday evening, a 6.5-magnitude quake hit nearby Benkulu province.
In September 2007, 23 people were killed and thousands of buildings distrusted when a 7.9-magnitude quake rocked the same province.
Indonesia is laid at a vulnerable zone called “The Pacific Ring of Fire”, where two continental plates, stretching from the Western Hemisphere through Japan and Southeast Asia, meet and cause frequent volcanic movements.