8.6M quake hits off west coast of N. Sumatra

 

Tsunami alerts in Indonesia and other countries Around the Indian Ocean have been lifted, after no significant waves were reported following the strong 8.6-magnitude earthquake and 8.2-magnitude aftershock which struck Indonesia's Aceh coast. So far there are no reports of deaths or injuries.

People living in Bengkulu, West Sumatra and Aceh were told to get ready for evacuation after the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics agency (BMKG) issued tsunami warning following the 8.5 magnitude earthquake.

Two massive earthquakes triggered back-to-back tsunami warnings for Indonesia on Wednesday, sending panicked residents fleeing to higher ground in cars and on the backs of motorcycles.

The first earthquake hit the sea 435 kilometres from Aceh's provincial capital, Banda Aceh, where many residents poured onto the streets in terror.

The US Geological Survey recorded it as an 8.6-magnitude earthquake.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency said, "Those quakes occurred outside the subduction zone, a collision zone between the Indo-Australian and Eurasian plates."

Graphics shows an earthquake measuring 8.6 on the Richter scale jolted off the west coast of Indonesia at 15:38 local time (8:38 GMT), April 11, 2012.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii swiftly issued an alert advising countries along the rim of the Indian Ocean, that a seismically charged wave could head their way.

An 8.2-magnitude aftershock followed. But no deadly waves or serious damage resulted, leading to the watch alert for much of the Indian Ocean to be lifted a few hours later.

Wednesday's tremors were felt in neighbouring Malaysia, where high-rise buildings shook, and in Thailand, India and Bangladesh.

Memories are still raw in Aceh of a 2004 tsunami that killed 170,000 people in the province alone, and nearly a dozen of other countries.