Saturday a very strong earthquake off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia caused some panic in locals from the region prone to tsunamis, but initial reports from the scene indicate no injuries or damage and officials report no tsunami risk.
The U.S. Geological Survey initially measured the quake at magnitude 6.4, but later revised its reading to 6.0.
About 98 miles southwest of Sungaipenuh, the epicenter of the quake was located at sea at a depth of 12 miles off the southern tip of the Mentawai Island chain, a collection of about 70 islands and islets off the western coast of Sumatra. About 76,000 people inhabit the Mentawi islands, which are a popular surfing destination in Indonesia.
Residents in the town of Sikakap on North Pagai, an island in the Mentawai chain, "poured into the streets and ran to higher ground as the quake struck," the Associated Press reported, citing a local official.
Muhammad Ramdan of Indonesia's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency told the AP the quake did not have the potential to trigger a tsunami. The region where the quake struck is a common site of earthquakes and is frequently at risk of tsunamis.
The Mentawai Islands lie above the Sunda megathrust, a seismically active zone responsible for many earthquakes, including the 2004, 9.1 magnitude earthquake which triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in 14 countries
Just four days before Saturday's quake, a magnitude 6.1 tremor killed at least 35 people and damaged more than 4,300 houses and buildings in Aceh province on the northern tip of Sumatra.