Jakarta, Indonesia was caught off guard as a 6.6 magnitude earthquake shook the western island of Sumatra at 0100 on Tuesday, Sept. 6, compelling some residents to flee their homes.

Reports from AFP and AP said residents fled from their houses still clad in sleeping wear, hotel guests left the buildings in haste, and one hospital was in chaos as patients and staff exited the premises in wheelchairs and infusion drips. It also resulted in a death of a 12-year old boy, and injured another.

U.S. Geological survey recorded the epicenter of the tremor was 60 miles southwest of Medan City stretching towards 62 miles underneath the earth's crust. However, to abate the fear among residents of a tsunami, authorities assured that there is no basis to fear as the scale cannot beckon a tsunami.

Residents of Singkil, a town jolted heavily by the quake sought temporary refuge in nearby evacuation centers. Lt. Col. Helmy Kesuma and his team surveyed the extent of damage in the area. Mr Kesuma was quoted in AP that electricity poles fell towards houses causing massive blackouts and made the situation even more difficult.

A survivor in Singkil related to the media how he and his wife screamed as they sneaked out of their house with children in tow.

"My children were crying and my wife was screaming when we saw that the walls in the house started to crumble and everything else was falling," said Burhan Mardiansyah in a report from AFP.

In North Sumatra's provincial capital, Medan, many ran out to the streets and some went to their balconies to avoid harm.

The island of Indonesia rests on a series of faults making the entire archipelago vulnerable to volcanic and seismic activities.

In Dec 26, 2004, a stronger 9.0 magnitude on a USGS scale sent a fatal tsunami killing more than 230,000 people, mostly from Aceh province.