An aftershock measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale rocked West Sumatra at 11:13 local time on Saturday morning, ANTARA reported. Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported that the epicenter of the aftershock was located at 0.98 degrees southern latitude and 97.90 degrees eastern longitude, or 81 kilometers southwest of Tanahbala, West Sumatra. The temblor which did not have a potential to cause tsunami was also located 108 kilometers southwest of Tanahmasa, 112 kilometers northwest of Suberutmentawai, 237 kilometers northwest of Sipuramentawai, and 249 kilometers southwest of Pariaman. West Sumatra was also shook by an earthquake measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale on Friday, at 5.51 a.m. local time. Over the past two weeks the province has been jolted by a number of a number of earthquakes and aftershocks. The epicenter of Friday morning`s temblor was located at 1.43 degrees southern latitude, 99.46 degrees eastern longitude, at a depth of 10 km below sea level, about 69 km southeast of Siberut, Mentawai, 112 km southwest of Padang, and 115 km southwest of Pariaman, West Sumatra. Padang city and several other regions in West Sumatra were repeatedly rattled by low-magnitude aftershocks, following a 6.9-magnitude earthquake which hit the province on August 16. That powerful earthquake could be felt by people living in Mentawai, Padang, Pariaman, Padang Pariaman, Agam, Pesisir Selatan, Payakumbuh and some other areas in West Sumatra as well as part of Riau Islands. The earthquake injured several people and damaged a number of houses. Meanwhile, the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) provincial capital of Kupang and its vicinity were also rocked by an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale at 9.51 am local time on Friday, the meteorological office said. But coordinator of Kupang Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Hariyanto said that the earthquake, which struck at 7.37 degrees south latitude and -123.50 degrees east longitude at a depth of 670 km below sea level, had no potential to create a tsunami. "The earthquake's epicenter is in the sea about 234 km southeast of Bau-bau with tremors also felt in East Sumba and Ende districts," Hariyanto said.
