Local people reportedly panicked due to the earthquake."Medan (ANTARA News) - An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter Scale shook Gunung Sitoli city in North Sumatra on Friday, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or material damage.
"Local people reportedly panicked due to the earthquake," Head of the Information Data Center and Public Relations of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a statement.
The epicenter of the earthquake, which struck at 10:12 a.m. local time, was located at 1.42 degrees northern latitude and 97.66 degrees eastern longitude, 16 kilometers northeast of Gunung Sitoli at a depth of 47 kilometers, he noted.
The quake lasted for nearly five seconds.
"Officials of the Gunung Sitoli City Disaster Mitigation Board (BPBD) are inspecting the quake-affected areas. There have been no reports on the impact of the earthquake," Nugroho added.
Although residents of the North Sumatra provincial capital of Medan did not feel the tremors, they were worried about the temblor.
"Normally, when an earthquake hits Nias Island (off the western coast of North Sumatra), residents of Medan also feel it," Dini, an employee, said.
Head of the Gunung Sitoli City Disaster Mitigation Board (BPBD) Soljiduhu could not be reached for comment on the impact of the natural disaster.
(Reported by Evalisa Siregar/Uu.INE/KR-BSR/O001)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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