JAKARTA (Reuters) – A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 struck off northern Sumatra in Indonesia on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, but authorities said there was little chance of a tsunami.
The quake was felt by residents on the island of Simeulue off Sumatra’s northwest coast but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
“The quake has no tsunami potential,” said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency. “Some people ran away from their houses. We don’t have any house damage.”
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no threat of a widespread, destructive tsunami after the quake, about 330 km (205 miles) southeast of Indonesia’s Banda Aceh. It said there was a “very small possibility” of a local tsunami. (Reporting by Olivia Rondonuwu; Writing by Paul Tait; Editing by Michael Perry)
