Three Earthquakes Rock Indonesia, One Dead in North Sumatra

Three earthquakes jolted Indonesia on Tuesday, with a 5.5-magnitude tremor in North Sumatra claiming one life, according to the country’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

The North Sumatra quake struck at 5:22 a.m. local time, its epicenter 17 kilometers southeast of North Tapanuli Regency at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers. Earlier quakes—a 5.7-magnitude in Maluku at 00:32 a.m. and another in East Nusa Tenggara—rattled the archipelago, though no casualties were reported there.

In North Sumatra, Sri Wahyuni Pancasilawati, head of the Provincial Disaster Management Agency’s emergency unit, confirmed, “One person was killed, and another was injured. Several houses and a road were severely damaged and the road is now impassable for transport.” Risk assessments are ongoing, she added, as the shallow quake’s impact disrupted local infrastructure. No tsunami warnings were issued for any of the tremors, which BMKG deemed unlikely to generate significant waves.

Indonesia’s position on the Pacific Ring of Fire—home to 127 active volcanoes—makes it prone to frequent seismic activity. The North Sumatra event echoes past disasters, like the 2004 9.1-magnitude quake off Sumatra that killed over 226,000 across 14 countries.

Tuesday’s quakes, while less severe, underscore the region’s volatility, with posts on X noting the disruption in North Sumatra and relief over no wider tsunami threat. Authorities continue monitoring as aftershocks remain a concern.