Strong undersea quake causes panic in western Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A strong and shallow undersea earthquake has shaken western Indonesia, but no damage was immediately reported. Witnesses said panicked residents ran to higher ground in Siberut, a coastal town on Mentawai island close to the epicenter. Indonesian authorities said the quake was magnitude 6.4 but posed no danger of triggering a tsunami. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at magnitude 5.9. Variations in early measurements are common. Indonesia is a seismically active archipelago. In February, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed at least 25 people in West Sumatra province. In January 2021, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed more than 100 people in West Sulawesi province.