A strong 6.6 earthquake struck Northern Sumatra

A strong earthquake struck Northern Sumatra in Indonesia on early Tuesday morning, seismologists said, but it was not immediately known if there was damage or if there were casualties.

The 6.6-magnitude earthquake at 12.55 a.m. local time (1755 GMT Monday) was centered on land about 100 km (62 miles) SW of Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia, 118 km (73 miles) W of Pematangsiantar, Sumatra, 160 km (99 miles) NNW of Sibolga, Sumatra, Indonesia (2.973°N, 97.997°E). It struck about 110.1 km (68.4 miles) deep according to USGS.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said no destructive tsunami had been generated.

WAPMERR, the theoretical damage engine reports : USGS gives 119 km depth. A recent earthquake at similar depth generated high frequency waves that did more damage than expected in Padang. Thus, casualties are possible in this case, although not likely to be numerous.

It was felt for 30 seconds in the location of Dairi. Reports from Indonesian news sources say the tremor was alleged to have caused an electrical installation in the Dairi to become disrupted as residents experienced power outages. “It is pitch black”. From ground level they also believe that there must be damage given the shock. It is the strongest earthquake that a lot of residents have ever felt according to them.