REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SABANG -- A 6,4 SR earthquake shook western tip of Sumatra on Wednesday at approximately 05:03 am, right before dawn prayer time. With the epicenter in the land, the earthquake did not cause a tsunami. "It occured at 5,19 North Latitude (LU), 96,36 East West  (BT) and 18 kilometers northeast district of Pidie Jaya, at the depth of 10 kilometer," the Head of Sabang's Climate Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), Siswanto, said.

According to Siswanto, the quake also felt in Pidie Jaya district and some other areas, among others Pidie Jaya, Pidie, Aceh Besar, Ule Glee Sabang, Bireun, Lhokseumawe. "It had not potential to trigger tsunami, but the people should be aware of aftershocks," he said.

Interior Minister Tjahjo Kumolo revealed so far 10 units of shophouses collapsed while several public facilities damaged in Pidie Jaya district. Some roads damaged and power lines were off. 

People were startled out of the house when the quake struck. The quake was felt stongly in Pidie Jaya for 15 seconds, 10 seconds in Pidie, Banda Aceh, and Aceh Besar and 5 seconds in Banda Aceh. There were five aftershocks after the quake with the strongest of 4,8 SR. "Currently, for damage in Pidie Jaya, the BPBDs local continued to update informations related to building damage and casualties," Public Relations of National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

Houses, buildings and several mosques collapsed. Some people trapped in collapsed buildings. The authorities still tracking victims and trying to evacuate them."We need heavy equipment to ease evacuation and surgeons to help victims," Deputy Regent of Pidie Jaya, Said Mulyadi, said in an interview with one of national TV.

Head of BMKG's Earthquake and Tsunami, Moch Riyadi, explained when reviewing depth of hipocentre, the earthquake is a kind of shallow one caused by the activity of local faults. "Strong suspicion active fault that power the earthquake is Samalanga-Sipopok Fault with track trending to Southwest-northeast," he remarked.

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