A massive earthquake struck off Indonesia's Sumatra island, prompting an Indian Ocean-wide tsunami alert and evacuation orders to clear people away from the coast.
The quake's magnitude was 8.7, according a revised reading from the US Geological Survey, and struck 268 miles (431km) off the Indonesian city of Banda Aceh where terrified residents poured into the streets.
The city was near the epicentre of a devastating 9.1-magnitude quake in 2004 that triggered a tsunami across the Indian Ocean which killed 220,000 people, including 170,000 in Aceh province which lies on the northern tip of Sumatra.
The latest tremor was felt as far afield as Thailand, where skyscrapers in the capital Bangkok swayed. India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Thailand all issued evacuation orders.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said there was "so far no tsunami threat" after the quake but that the country remained on alert.
There were no reports of deadly waves, however, or serious damage, and a watch for the Indian Ocean was lifted after a few hours.
Indonesia said it was checking for damage and casualties but remarkably, no such reports had been received for several hours after the quakes, including in Aceh, the closest province and the area decimated by the disaster eight years ago.
However, some areas close to the epicentre are remote so it could take some time to find out if there was any damage.
A massive earthquake struck off Indonesia's Sumatra island, prompting an Indian Ocean-wide tsunami alert and evacuation orders to clear people away from the coast.
The quake's magnitude was 8.7, according a revised reading from the US Geological Survey, and struck 268 miles (431km) off the Indonesian city of Banda Aceh where terrified residents poured into the streets.
The city was near the epicentre of a devastating 9.1-magnitude quake in 2004 that triggered a tsunami across the Indian Ocean which killed 220,000 people, including 170,000 in Aceh province which lies on the northern tip of Sumatra.
The latest tremor was felt as far afield as Thailand, where skyscrapers in the capital Bangkok swayed. India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Thailand all issued evacuation orders.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said there was "so far no tsunami threat" after the quake but that the country remained on alert.
There were no reports of deadly waves, however, or serious damage, and a watch for the Indian Ocean was lifted after a few hours.
Indonesia said it was checking for damage and casualties but remarkably, no such reports had been received for several hours after the quakes, including in Aceh, the closest province and the area decimated by the disaster eight years ago.
However, some areas close to the epicentre are remote so it could take some time to find out if there was any damage.
Waves of up to one metre high were seen near islands off Aceh, but Indonesia cancelled a warning for fresh tsunamis. It said the worst-hit area was the thinly populated island of Simeulue, off Aceh's southern coast.
The US Geological Survey said the first 8.6-magnitude quake was 435 kilometres from Aceh's provincial capital, at 8.38pm New Zealand time.
The tsunami watch that followed from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii advised countries all along the rim of the Indian Ocean, from Australia and India to as far off as Africa, that a tsunami could be generated.
But just as the region was sighing relief, an 8.2-magnitude aftershock hit.
Experts said both quakes were geologically different than the one that spawned the 2004 tsunami, occurring horizontally, with the tectonic plates sliding against each other, creating more of a vibration in the water.
- This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.
| Magnitude | 8.6 |
|---|---|
| Date-Time |
|
| Location | 2.311°N, 93.063°E |
| Depth | 22.9 km (14.2 miles) |
| Region | OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA |
| Distances | 434 km (269 miles) SW of Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia 550 km (341 miles) SW of Lhokseumawe, Sumatra, Indonesia 963 km (598 miles) W of KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia 1797 km (1116 miles) WNW of JAKARTA, Java, Indonesia |
| Location Uncertainty | horizontal +/- 13.5 km (8.4 miles); depth +/- 2.6 km (1.6 miles) |
| Parameters | NST=395, Nph=397, Dmin=514.3 km, Rmss=1.52 sec, Gp= 18°, M-type=(unknown type), Version=B |
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