April 12, 1967 Earthquake: N Sumatera,malay Peninsula, Indonesia-Malaysia

Name: April 12, 1967 Earthquake: N Sumatera,malay Peninsula, Indonesia-Malaysia
Start: 1967-04-12
Location: N Sumatera,malay Peninsula, Indonesia-Malaysia

April 12, 1967 · M6.1 · 14 deaths · 2,000 houses destroyed

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck N Sumatera,malay Peninsula, Indonesia-Malaysia on April 12, 1967 at 04:51:50 UTC, 100 km below the surface. It killed 14 people.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date: April 12, 1967
Time: 04:51:50 UTC
Place: N Sumatera,malay Peninsula, Indonesia-Malaysia
Magnitude: 6.1 (Ms)
Focal depth: 100 km (62 mi)
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 5.500° N, 97.300° E
Country: Indonesia

The toll

Deaths: 14
Damage: Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
Houses destroyed: 2,000

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

Reference #414:

1967, April 12, 11:51 [local time]. There was a magnitude 7.5 earthquake with source in the Malacca Strait (5.5 N, 97.3 E, depth 100 km). At Penang (Malaysia), the residents ran from their homes. At Atjeh, 11 people died and 2,000 homes were destroyed (at Djunib, Purul, Biruen and other places). The earthquake was accompanied by numerous aftershocks. At Sigli, an enormous sea wave was observed.

Reference #1186:

This earthquake, centered at North Sumatra, killed 14 people and destroyed about 2,000 houses and ravaged crops. It claimed a further unknown number of casualties

Reference #1188:

Magnitude 6.1, epicenter 5.36 N, 97.3E

Reference #79:

Epicenter 5.5 N, 97.3 E

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1967 The 1900s Every quake the USGS located in 1967 Recent earthquakes near here This day in weather history

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 4397.