Strong earthquake jolts N. Sumatra

MEDAN, North Sumatra: A strong 6.2-magnitude earthquake jolted Nias island and Sibolga and Medan in North Sumatra on Tuesday morning, causing little damage but sparking panic among residents still traumatised by earlier tremors.

Sofyan Rambe, an official at the North Sumatra's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG), said that the quake, which was centered 55 kilometers northeast of Gunung Sitoli city, Nias, happened at 8:52 a.m.

Many residents fled from houses and offices after the quake, fearing the buildings would collapse.

Earthquakes have been frequent on the west coast of Sumatra since the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami.

An 8.7-magnitude quake near Nias island on March 28 killed over 900 people and injured thousands of others. -- JP