Earthquake forces people to flee

PADANG, West Sumatra: An earthquake measuring 3.9 on the Richter scale jolted Padang, the capital city of West Sumatra province, at 10:45 a.m. on Monday, an official said.

No casualties or injuries were reported. However, the quake caused panic among local residents.

The quake's epicenter was located in the Mentawai straits, some 100 kilometers west of Padang, an official of the provincial meteorological and geophysics agency, Erwin, said on Monday.

He said dozens of residents fled their homes and other buildings fearing they would collapse.--Antara