A strong 6. 4- magnitude earthquake hit off the Indonesian island Sumatra on Sunday but there was no tsunami risk, seismologists said as panicked residents fled their homes.
The quake hit at a depth of 35 kilometres ( 22 miles) at 10:08 am ( 0308 GMT ) 73 kilometres west of Bengkulu , according to the United States Geological Survey .
“ The earthquake was quite strong and shallow , it was felt all the way to Padang, West Sumatra , but there was no threat of a tsunami, ” Mochammad Riyadi , an official at Indonesia ’ s meteorology and geophysics agency said.
He said officials were checking if there were any casualties or damage.
Bengkulu resident Neng Hasnah said the quake felt very strong for a few seconds , forcing her and her family members to flee her house.
“ I was carrying my seven -month old granddaughter and I had to run, all the neighbours also ran outside their homes, ” Hasnah said.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific “ Ring of Fire” where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity .
An earthquake struck Indonesia’ s western Aceh province in December 2016, killing more than 100 people , injuring many more and leaving tens of thousands homeless