The Foreign Ministry says it is having difficulties confirming the whereabouts of a South Korean in an Indonesian area hit by a powerful earthquake.

A ministry official said Thursday that a 23-year-old student of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies is studying in Padang city in West Sumatra Province as part of an exchange program. An area 50 kilometers northwest of Padang city was hit by a quake with a magnitude of seven-point-six earlier on Wednesday.

The official said that the ministry is trying to confirm his whereabouts through Koreans living in the region but has thus far had no luck.

The official added that the whereabouts and safety of eight of nine Koreans in the region, except the student, have been confirmed.