| 7:11 AM
Powerful earthquake strikes near Indonesia
Powerful earthquake strikes near Indonesia
A powerful and shallow earthquake of magnitude 7.9 has struck off the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the US Geological Survey said.
A tsunami warning has been issued for parts of Indonesia, including West Sumatra, North Sumatra and Aceh, and for Christmas Island and Cocos Island. The Australian bureau of meteorology also issued a watch alert for the country’s west coast, but withdrew it shortly afterwards.
The epicentre was 502 miles (808km) south-west of Padang, USGS said. It was six miles (10km) deep.
The quake was felt strongly in Padang in West Sumatra for a few seconds, a AFP journalist in the city said. People ran out of their homes to higher ground.
However the USGS said there was a “low likelihood of casualties and damage”.
“There are likely to be no affected structures in this region,” it added on its website.
