Strong earthquake hits western Indonesia days after deadly tremor

A strong 6.4-magnitude quake struck off Indonesia’s Sumatra on Saturday, US seismologists said, just days after a tremor on the vast island killed dozens and left thousands homeless.

No tsunami warning was issued and there were no reports of damage after the quake struck at a shallow depth of just 23 kilometres (14 miles) off the southwest coast of the vast island, said the US Geological Survey.

The epicentre was close to the remote archipelago of Mentawai. In 2010, a 7.7-magnitude quake triggered a tsunami that left more than 400 people dead on the island chain.

Suharjono, an official from the local meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency who goes by one name, said Saturday’s quake was unlikely to have caused damage and there was no threat of a tsunami.

“Judging from the quake’s magnitude and the distance from the epicentre to the land, I don’t think the quake will have a significant impact,” he said.

“There’s little potential to cause damage,” said the official, saying that it was felt mildly by people in two provinces on Sumatra.