6.4-magnitude earthquake strikes Indonesia's SumatraJuly 25, 2012 - 10:32 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the west coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island on Wednesday, sending terrified residents fleeing from homes and buildings, according to Reuters. One man collapsed and died of shock while rushing out of his home, authorities said. The quake, at a depth of 22 kilometers (14 miles), struck around 07:30 am (0030 GMT), some 34 kilometers northwest of Sinabang, capital of Simeulue - a small, remote island off Sumatra's west coast, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. Residents of Sinabang said violent shaking was felt for about a minute and had caused an electricity blackout. National Disaster Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said one man died while fleeing from his home on the island, which has a population of about 80,000. "A man on Simeulue died of shock. He had a history of high blood pressure and was rushing out of his home when he collapsed and died," Nugroho said. Local media and Indonesia's meteorology agency said there were no immediate reports of significant damage or other casualties directly related to the quake. The agency said the quake occurred in the sea off Simeulue, but did not issue a tsunami warning. It said slight shaking was felt in the city of Banda Aceh, about 360 kilometres from Simeulue. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology said the Indonesian quake posed no tsunami threat to Australia. The USGS initially reported a 6.6-magnitude quake, but downgraded the intensity to 6.4 - the same strength as Indonesia's meteorology agency reported. Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where continental plates collide, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Erdogan wants “realistic road map” for relations with Armenia Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for a “new realistic road map” for relations with Armenia. Armenia-Azerbaijan: Experts launch work on determining coordinates Expert groups from the countries started the process of determining the coordinates based on geodetic measurements. Yerevan says did not expect CSTO in peacekeeping role Pashinyan has declared that the CSTO would be expected to come to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border as an ally of Armenia Henrikh Mkhitaryan wins Serie A title with Inter Inter Milan midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan admits that the team have long been imagining clinching Serie A against AC Milan. |