A powerful earthquake hit off the coast of Aceh Province in the northern part of Indonesia's Sumatra island Sunday, causing panic among residents, Kyodo News reported.There were no immediate reports of widespread damage or loss of life from the quake, which occurred at 12:59 p.m. local time, and a tsunami warning that was issued was later lifted.
The U.S. Geological Survey, which monitors global seismic activity, estimated the quake's magnitude at 7.4 and said it had a depth of 61.4 kilometers beneath the seafloor.
The quake's epicenter was located some 220 km south-southeast of Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh Province, where was felt. It was also felt in neighboring North Sumatra Province.
Indonesia's Meteorological, Geological and Climatology Agency put the quake's magnitude at 7.2. It said after lifting the tsunami warning that a small tsunami of only 20 centimeters was generated.
The quake caused panic among local residents in Aceh, with local media reporting that people in several regencies of the province fled their houses following the temblor. A blackout was reported in North Aceh Regency.
Indonesia, with more than 17,000 islands, is prone to earthquakes, as it sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire.
Early last month, a M7.7 quake shook Aceh, damaging hundreds of houses and injuring three people.
On Dec. 26, 2004, the province was rocked by a devastating quake with a magnitude exceeding 9 that killed as many as 170,000 people in the province along with tens of thousands of others in countries like Sri Lanka, Thailand and India.
Among other recent quakes, a M7.6 one last year killed 1,115 people in West Sumatra Province, while a M7.2 earthquake and tsunami killed more than 500 people in 2006 in West Java Province.
