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Strong quake hits off Sumatra, people rush to high ground
National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) head Syamsul Maarif (right forefront) and West Sumatra Governor Irwan Prayitno (left forefront) observe a tsunami evacuation site at the top of the new governorâs office in Padang, West Sumatra, on Jan
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National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) head Syamsul Maarif (right forefront) and West Sumatra Governor Irwan Prayitno (left forefront) observe a tsunami evacuation site at the top of the new governorâs office in Padang, West Sumatra, on Jan. 2, 2013. (JP/Syofiardi Bachyul Jb) (BNPB) head Syamsul Maarif (right forefront) and West Sumatra Governor Irwan Prayitno (left forefront) observe a tsunami evacuation site at the top of the new governorâs office in Padang, West Sumatra, on Jan. 2, 2013. (JP/Syofiardi Bachyul Jb)
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span class="caption">National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) head Syamsul Maarif (right forefront) and West Sumatra Governor Irwan Prayitno (left forefront) observe a tsunami evacuation site at the top of the new governor's office in Padang, West Sumatra, on Jan. 2, 2013. (JP/Syofiardi Bachyul Jb)
A powerful, shallow earthquake hit off the southwestern coast of Sumatra on Wednesday, triggering a tsunami warning that sent islanders rushing to high ground. An official said the potential for a tsunami was small.
The US Geological Service said the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.8. It was centered under the ocean at a depth of 24 kilometers, it said.
Shallow earthquakes are more likely to cause damage, but the USGS said the quake was located far from land, about 659 kilometers from the town of Muara Siberut.
Andi Eka Sakya, head of Indonesia's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, said there was only a small potential for a tsunami. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, he said.
"I think its potential for a tsunami is very small," because the quake didn't occur along a major fault known as a subduction zone, he told TVOne.
Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval because of its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines circling the Pacific Basin.
A massive magnitude-9.1 quake off Indonesia in 2004 triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries. Most of the deaths were in Indonesia's Aceh province on Sumatra.
Marjina, a resident of Sikakap in the Mentawai islands, about 690 kilometers from the epicenter, said the quake was felt only weakly there, but the tsunami warning caused panic among villagers, who ran to higher ground.
A resident of Siberut island, which is closest to the epicenter, said people evacuated to higher ground and were waiting for the tsunami warning to be lifted.
Australia's Bureau of Meteorology issued a marine warning for the distant Cocos and Christmas islands. It did not advise evacuations, but said strong and dangerous currents were possible and people should secure boats and avoid waterfront areas. The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Center issued but then canceled a tsunami watch for Western Australia.
The Indian government issued a statement advising that no tsunami threat was posed for the Indian coast.
