The injured are treated outside a hospital in Aceh province on July 2, 2013, after the area was hit by an earthquake
At least 22 people have been killed and more than 200 others injured as a strong earthquake struck western Indonesia, officials say.
The 6.1-magnitude quake hit at a depth of 10 kilometers in the Aceh province on Tuesday. The epicenter was situated 55 kilometers west of the Bireun town on the western tip of Sumatra Island, the US Geological Survey said.
“So far 22 people have died, 210 people were injured, and thousands of buildings and homes were damaged in the quake,” said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for National Disaster Management Agency.
Nugroho also said that some 12 people were killed and 70 others injured by a landslide and collapsing of buildings caused by the tremor in Bener Meriah district.
In Central Aceh district, 10 people lost their lives, 140 others were wounded and more than 1,500 houses and buildings were damaged, he added.
On April 20, a 6.4 -magnitude earthquake jolted Indonesiaâ„¢s Maluku islands, but caused no casualties or material damage.
Indonesia is vulnerable to earthquakes since it is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region known for its seismic and volcanic activity caused by friction between shifting tectonic plates.
Last year, a 6.4-magnitude quake rocked Sumatra Island, killing at least one person. An 8.7-magnitude earthquake also hit off the city of Banda Aceh in May 2012, triggering regional tsunami alerts.
A strong quake off the shores of Indonesia triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in 13 countries around the Indian Ocean in 2004.
SAB/PR
Republished with permission from: Press TV