6.2 Earthquake Kills 2, Injures More in West Indonesia

People wait outside after evacuating a market following an earthquake in Pekanbaru, Indonesia, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. (AP)
People wait outside after evacuating a market following an earthquake in Pekanbaru, Indonesia, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. (AP)
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6.2 Earthquake Kills 2, Injures More in West Indonesia

People wait outside after evacuating a market following an earthquake in Pekanbaru, Indonesia, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. (AP)
People wait outside after evacuating a market following an earthquake in Pekanbaru, Indonesia, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. (AP)

A strong and shallow earthquake hit off the coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra island on Friday, killing two people and injuring 20, damaging buildings and panicking people in Sumatra island and neighboring Malaysia and Singapore.

The US Geological Survey said the earthquake measured 6.2 magnitude and struck about 66 kilometers (41 miles) north-northwest of Bukittinggi, a hilly town in West Sumatra province. It struck about 12 kilometers (7.4 miles) below the Earth's surface.

Suharyanto, head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, said at least two people were killed in West Pasaman district — the closest area to the epicenter — and 20 others were injured as dozens of houses and buildings reportedly collapsed. He said the earthquake has also triggered a landslide in the district.

Dwikorita Karnawati, head of Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency, said there was no danger of a tsunami but warned of possible aftershocks.

Television reports showed the strong temblor sending streams of panicked people into the streets in Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province, and patients in a hospital at West Pasaman were being evacuated from the building.

People in neighboring Malaysia and Singapore also reportedly felt the tremors. A video that circulated on social media showed residents gathered in streets after high-rises in Kuala Lumpur swayed for a few seconds. Witnesses reported seeing their doors and chairs shaking and photos and paintings fixed to the walls trembling.

Hamsuardi, the West Pasaman district head, said Friday's earthquake caused damage to dozens of houses and buildings, including his office. Authorities are still collecting information about the full scale of damage in the affected areas.

In January 2021, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake killed at least 105 people and injured nearly 6,500 in West Sulawesi province.

Indonesia has a number of seismic faults and is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. A powerful Indian Ocean quake and tsunami in 2004 killed nearly 230,000 people in a dozen countries, most of them in Indonesia.



Vatican Cancels Pope’s Weekend Engagements as He Battles ‘Complex’ Infection 

Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
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Vatican Cancels Pope’s Weekend Engagements as He Battles ‘Complex’ Infection 

Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)

Pope Francis, who began his fifth day in hospital on Tuesday for what doctors have described as a "complex" respiratory infection, will not take part in this weekend's Holy Year events, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

The 88-year-old pontiff has been suffering from a respiratory infection for more than a week and was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Friday.

A planned public papal audience set for Saturday had been cancelled "due to the health condition of the Holy Father", the Vatican said in a brief statement.

A papal mass scheduled for Sunday will still take place, but will be led instead by a senior Vatican official, it added.

The Vatican said on Monday that doctors had changed the pope's drug therapy for the second time during his hospital stay to tackle a "complex clinical situation". They described it as a "polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract".

Doctors say polymicrobial diseases can be caused by a mix of viruses, bacteria and fungi.

Francis, who has been pontiff since 2013, has had influenza and other health problems several times over the past two years. As a young adult he developed pleurisy and had part of one lung removed, and in recent times has been prone to lung infections.