Indonesia’s Kepulauan Mentawai Quake Leaves 23 Dead

A magnitude-7.5 earthquake that caused a small tsunami in Indonesia’s Kepulauan Mentawai region off western Sumatra yesterday left at least 23 people dead and 167 others missing, the National Disaster Management Agency said.

The quake triggered a 3-meter (10-foot) high tsunami that reached 400 meters inland, Nelis Zuliasri, head of information at the agency, said today. Eight Australians are among the missing, she said. They were on a boat in the area where contact has been lost, she said.