Major Earthquakes Struck Indonesia

Major Earthquakes Struck Indonesia

Two earthquakes struck off the coast of Indonesian island of Sumatra in the afternoon of April 11th.

The first quake, with a magnitude of 8.6, struck about 270 miles southwest of Banda Aceh, the capital of Indonesia’s Aceh Province. This major earthquake was followed by a second quake with a magnitude of 8.2 about two hours later. The second one hit off the west coast of Sumatra. A tsunami watch for Indian Ocean was triggered after the first occurrence but was later canceled. There were also a series of smaller quakes near the west coast of northern Sumatra, all with magnitudes between 5.1 and 5.4.

There was no immediate report of major damage and casualty right after the major quakes. But until Thursday the 12th, the death toll had reached a number of 5, none caused directly by the occurrences.