6.9-magnitude earthquake strikes Indonesia’s North Sumatra

A powerful magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Indonesia’s North Sumatra province on Saturday (August 16), hours after a deadly 7.7-magnitude quake hit the country’s eastern Flores region.

The latest tremor struck at 5:54pm (local time), with its epicentre located about 7 kilometres north-northwest of Pematangsiantar, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The quake occurred at a depth of 183.2 kilometres.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage from the North Sumatra earthquake.

The tremor came on the same day as the powerful earthquake off Flores, which killed at least 48 people and injured more than 100, according to reports. The Flores quake caused widespread damage, landslides and road blockages, while thousands of residents were evacuated.

The two earthquakes struck in geographically distant parts of Indonesia, with North Sumatra and Flores separated by roughly 2,800–2,900 kilometres.

Indonesia is highly vulnerable to earthquakes because it lies along the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire.