Hundreds of houses hit by small tsunami in West Sumatra

By Syofiardi Bachyul Jb

About 200 hundred houses in Pagai Utara of Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra, were hit by 2-meter high tsunami following a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Pagai Selatan on Monday night.

Supri Linda, 30, of Sikakap village in Pagai Utara said that the tsunami had caused no casualties.

“However, most of our household items are damaged and inundated by sea water,” Linda told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

A wooden house was swept away by the tsunami, causing its residents to seek shelter in a mosque located far from the beach.

The West Sumatra Agency for Disaster Management officer Ade Edward said that he had received the tsunami report.

“The earthquake triggered tsunami waves which were measured between one meter and 1.2 meters. In some parts, like in Malakoppak, the waves reached 600 meters off the shore, but there were no casualty,” he added.

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