Panca Nugraha and Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Mataram, Kupang
A powerful undersea earthquake struck the Nusa Tenggara island chain Thursday, sparking panic among residents who took the initiative to flee homes and buildings on an island near the epicenter, officials said.
The quake struck near Sumbawa island at a depth of 19 kilometers, Fauzi, head of seismology at Indonesia's Meteorological and Geophysics Agency, said.
According to Indonesian seismologists, the quake reached a magnitude of 6.5, while the U.S. Geological Survey measured it at 5.5.
The earthquake prompted a brief tsunami warning, but there were no reports of injuries or casualties.
"We canceled the warning because the quake had no tsunami-generating potential," Sri Woro, head of the geophysics agency, told Reuters.
"It was quite a strong quake and created panic," said Iwan, a journalist based in Sumbawa, who added he had not seen any damage in the island's main town of Raba, the capital of Bima regency.
Residents ran out into the streets as buildings trembled in villages and towns on Sumbawa, fearful the quake would cause houses to collapse or send debris flying.
"All civil servants here rushed out of the building (of the Bima regency administration) and were reluctant to go back in for hours after, fearing aftershocks," said Bima regency spokesman Abdul Wahab.
Wahab said a similar wave of panic occurred in a number of locations around Raba, especially in the districts of Sape, Lambu and Langgudu.
"People were screaming and running out of their homes," said Indra, a bank employee in Sape, as quoted by AFP.
"People are still traumatized by an earthquake that occurred at the end of last year, which destroyed buildings and killed three people," Wahab said.
The regency administration deployed several teams to calm the situation, including one to Sape, the only port in Bima which links West Nusa Tenggara to East Nusa Tenggara.
The teams urged people to remain calm and monitored signs of a possible tsunami.
Burhanuddin Abdullah, who resides near Raba, said his first concern was for his family.
"I immediately instructed my daughters and wife to get out of the house," he said. "But actually, this earthquake was not as strong as the one we experienced last year."
The tremor was felt in a number of cities in East Nusa Tenggara, including Labuan Bajo, the capital of West Manggarai regency; Ruteng, the capital of Manggarai; Waingapu, the capital of East Sumba; Waikabubak, the capital of West Sumba; and Rara, the capital of West Nusa Tenggara.
Initial reports have suggested the quake did not cause major damage. A police officer on duty in the Sumbawa town of Dompu said no damage or casualties had been reported there, according to AFP.
The tsunami warning was lifted less than an hour after it was issued and no tsunami was recorded, the officer said.
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