A 7.3 M Earthquake Struck the Mentawai Islands

Mentawai Islands – On Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at 03:00 WIB, a tectonic earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 struck the Mentawai Islands. According to the BMKG (Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency) monitoring until 04:35 WIB, there were eight aftershocks, with the largest registering a magnitude of 4.6. The epicenter of the earthquake was located on the west coast of Sumatra at coordinates 0.94° LS; 98.38° E.

The Head of the BMKG Earthquake and Tsunami Center, Dr. Daryono, S.Si., M.Si., stated in the official BMKG release that considering the location of the epicenter and the depth of the hypocenter, the earthquake was of a shallow type resulting from the subduction activity of the Indo-Australian Plate.

BMKG reported that the earthquake was felt in the Siberut area of Mentawai with an intensity scale of VI MMI. Residents were startled by the vibrations and hurriedly left their homes. In some buildings, wall plaster fell off, and there was minor damage to a factory chimney.

In the West Pasaman, Padang Pariaman, Agam, and Padang areas, the earthquake was observed on the V MMI intensity scale. Nearly all residents in these areas also felt the vibrations. People woke up from sleep, pottery was broken, objects were thrown, and large structures and pillars appeared to sway.

Although the BMKG initially issued a ‘Potential Tsunami’ warning for this earthquake, the warning was lifted at 03:00 WIB.

The BMKG advised people to ensure that their buildings are adequately earthquake-resistant and free from any damage that could compromise their stability before returning home.

BMKG continues to urge the public to remain calm and encourages them to access information from verified official BMKG communication channels. This information was obtained by Human Initiative from the official BMKG source through the Twitter account @infoBMKG.