EARTHQUAKE HITS PADANG

Padang, West Sumatra, Dec. 23 (ANTARA) - An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter Scale rocked Padang, West Sumatra Province, on Wednesday at 8.11 am local time.

The quake's epicenter was located at 1.48 degrees southern latitude and 99.33 degrees eastern longitude, around 56 km southeast of Siberut, Mentawai, at a depth of 10 km below sea level, according to data from the national meteorological, geophysics and climatology office.

The temblor caused Padang residents to rush out of their houses in panic. Reports on damages and casualties are not yet available.

On September 30, 2009, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 on the Richter scale devastated Padang city, the provincial capital of West Sumatra, killing at least 1,117 people.

A total of 1,214 people were suffering from serious injuries, and 1,688 others were lightly injured. However, unofficial estimates put the number of victims at thousands, as many were still buried under the ruins of the collapsed buildings.

The earthquake also destroyed 101,653 houses, and caused damage to 97,995 others.

Indonesia's 17,000 islands are scattered along a belt of volcanic and seismic activity known as the "Pacific Ring of Fire," making the archipelago one of the most quake-prone regions on the planet.