April 12, 1967 Tsunami: Northeast Sumatra, Indonesia
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.1 earthquake began at Northeast Sumatra, Indonesia on April 12, 1967 at 04:51:50 UTC. Its effects were recorded at 1 place. It killed 14 people, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
The tsunami
- Date
- April 12, 1967, 04:51:50 UTC
- Source
- Northeast Sumatra, Indonesia
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.1, 100 km deep
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1.5
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 5.500° N, 97.300° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 14 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- 2,000 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
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:
On April 12, 1967, at 11:51 [local time], validity 3, there was a magnitude 7.5 earthquake with source in the Malacca Strait (5.5 N, 97.3 E, depth 100 km). At Sigli, an enormous sea wave was observed.
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sigli, Aceh, Sumatra | Indonesia | 155 |
More
Every tsunami in 1967The 1900sTsunamis of IndonesiaThe earthquakeThis day in weather historyAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups 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 tsunami event 1988.