Huge 7.3 earthquake damages hospital and sends people running for higher ground in Indonesia

Residents flee villages overnight on foot and motorcycles in the dark and amid rain

People stay outside of their house and hospital after a magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurred in their area in Muara Sikabaluan village, on Siberut Island (AFP/Getty)

A strong undersea earthquake with a 7.1 magnitude hit Indonesia on Tuesday, causing people to flee to higher ground.

Minor tsunamis of 11cm were also detected in the Tanah Bala coastal area of South Nias regency. But a tsunami alert was lifted just before dawn, two hours after the undersea quake struck.

Footage from the western parts of the quake-prone island nation released by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency showed panic as people started fleeing the village on Mentawai Island on foot and on two-wheelers in the dark and amid rain.

Some patients at a village hospital were also evacuated to its yard after visible cracks appeared on the facility’s floor.

Residents in Padang, a city on the west coast of Sumatra, told Reuters they had panicked as tsunami warning sirens wailed and forced evacuation to higher ground in the middle of the night.

“We just ran because we heard there was a tsunami. I just brought my family, we didn’t bring anything else,” Hendra, a Padang resident who goes by one name, said while in an evacuation zone.

Some areas in the Mentawai Islands, which were closest to the epicentre, also reported power outages.

The earthquake's shocks were felt in districts and cities of West Sumatra and North Sumatra provinces, according to local media reports. Evacuations to higher ground were ordered for several areas.

“Many residents in several villages on Mentawai island chose to stay displaced in higher ground although the tsunami alert was ended due to fears of aftershocks,” said Abdul Muhari, the agency’s spokesperson.

The quake was centred 170km southeast of Teluk Dalam, a coastal town in the South Nias regency of North Sumatra, at a depth of 15km.

Residents gradually started to return to their homes on Tuesday. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency has, however, advised them to remain vigilant and ensure their home exits are unobstructed in case they need to evacuate again.

While no casualties have been reported so far, officials have warned that aftershocks could continue.

“Especially for people living in coastal areas, if there is an earthquake that lasts more than 30 seconds, please immediately go to a higher place to anticipate the possibility of a tsunami,” the agency said in a statement.

Indonesia, a country located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis.

Last November, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake killed at least 340 people and damaged over 62,600 homes in part of West Java.

In 2018, a series of powerful earthquakes struck the island of Lombok, killing over 500 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless. In 2019, a devastating tsunami hit the Sunda Strait, killing over 400 people and injuring thousands more.

Additional reporting by agencies