Mentawai Earthquake; Siberut Residents Start to Leave Evacuation Areas

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A magnitude 6.9 earthquake rocked the Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra at around 03:00 today, April 25. Residents in West and North Siberut Districts ran towards the mountains and hills, fearing tsunami.

By sunrise, conditions have started to go back to normal. Some people in the West and North Siberut Districts have started to come down from the evacuation sites.

"I am currently in Betaet, the center of West Siberut District. As for the conditions here, people have started to go down from higher grounds to check on their houses," Jaret Leto, chief of Simalegi Village, West Siberut District, told Tempo when contacted on Tuesday.

Jaret said that thing are looking safer in Betaet now. However, children and the elderly are still seeking refuge in evacuation tents provided by the Social Service. "There are also tents that were built during President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's time," he said.

Jaret said that he had not received reports on damages due to poor network and weather conditions in West Siberut District, which had been raining since last night.

Until this news was published, Tempo had not been able to contact the head of Mentawai Islands Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) for comments.

FACHRI HAMZAH

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