A powerful earthquake has struck off the western Indonesian island of Sumatra, sparking fears of a tsunami. Alerts were issued for many Indian Ocean nations after the 7.9 quake, though Indonesia's has now been lifted, the BBC reports on its website.

Local media said buildings in Padang, the capital of the province of West Sumatra, and in the town of Mukomuko, had collapsed. It is not yet clear whether there are casualties. There were also reports of inhabitants fleeing swaying buildings in the capital Jakarta and in Singapore.

Besides Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and a number of small islands were put on alert.

About two hours after the quake, Indonesia's meteorology agency said the danger of a serious tsunami had passed. Warnings remained in place in other countries, the BBC reported.

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Einzel Ansicht - 01-01-70 01:00