6.2-magnitude quake jolts Indonesia’s Sumatra island

Jakarta: A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck near the western coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island on Friday (today), the country's geophysics agency BMKG said.

According to United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake was felt as far away as Singapore and Malaysia and strongly in the nearby cities of Padang in West Sumatra province and in Pekanbaru in Riau Province.

Reportedly, the 6.2 quake struck just after 8:30 am—minutes after a less violent quake recorded by USGS as 5.0 magnitude. 

Tremors hit the island’s north at a depth of 12 kilometres (7.5 miles).

No tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of serious damage.

"We continue to monitor and advise people to remain on alert," Dwikorita Karnawati, the head of BMKG said. 

"Because this is on land, and the scale is above 6, we are concerned that it could cause some damage," he added. 

The country suffers frequent earthquakes, straddling the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire", a highly seismically active zone, where different plates on the earth’s crust meets.

In January, a 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck off Java Island—prompting some residents to flee from buildings in panic.