7.9 magnitude quake hits western Indonesia, tsunami alert

Mar 08, 2016, 15:03

The 7.8 magnitude, shallow undersea quake hit late Wednesday off Sumatra, Indonesia's main western island, sending panicked residents fleeing for the hills and briefly triggering a tsunami alert.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, he said.

On Dec. 26, 2004, a 9.1-magnitude quake struck the eastern coast of Sumatra island, causing a tsunami that killed around 230,000 people as it tore along the coasts of Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

"That made it hard to determine whether or not the natural disaster triggered a tsunami", Sutopo said on Thursday.

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The tremor hit 500 miles (804 kilometers) southwest of Padang in Sumatra at a depth of about 15 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

A USGS map showing the location of the M7.9 quake (large red dot) near Sumatra, Indonesia.

Like the Philippines, Indonesia is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because it is located in the Pacific "Ring of Fire", a highly seismically active zone where neighboring tectonic plates violently clash. An AFP journalist there said people ran out of their homes to higher ground. Aceh was among the areas covered by the tsunami warning issued on 2 March, which included the provinces of West Sumatra and North Sumatra.

Heronimus Guru, deputy head of operations for the country's search and rescue agency, said: "There are some who have died", but was unable to give further details.

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The epicentre was 808km south-west of the coastal city of Padang.

Indonesia's national meteorological agency has issued an early tsunami warning.

Similarly, Australian officials canceled tsunami warnings for Cocos Island and Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean, according to news reports. No evacuations were ordered but locals were warned of potentially unsafe rips, waves and strong ocean currents.

Thus, keeping the same in mind, the government of affected nations carried out a more affected tsunami monitoring system.

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A tsunami is caused by the massive displacement of sea water which occurs when a powerful natural disaster lifts the ocean floor.