A shallow 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit the Indian Ocean at 19:49 ICT time today: Australian and Indonesian authorities have thus issued early tsunami warnings.
Australia has stressed that no sea-level observations of tsunami have been confirmed at this point, according to Independent.
The warning has been issued for West Sumatra, North Sumatra and Aceh.
The epicentre was around 600 km off the southwest coast of Indonesian-island Sumatra, and was very shallow at just 10km depth. It was reportedly felt onshore in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia.
Around 1,000 people in the nearby Mentawai islands have taken refuge in tsunami evacuation shelters, according to @PichayadaCNA.
The Thai National Disaster Warning Centre have urged the public to be prepared for a potential tsunami.
No casualties or serious damage have been reported from the earthquake.
Indonesia is the fourth corner of the notorious Pacific Ring Of Fire – a highly seismically active zone subject to a number of earthquakes and volcanoes. The area was devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Australian authorities say no evacuation required from Christmas and Cocos Islands. But risk of dangerous waves and rips #SumatraQuake
— Jack Board (@JackBoardCNA) March 2, 2016
#SumatraQuake felt in “big part” of W Sumatra, Mentawai; residents evacuated: Governor https://t.co/3fV8pXgjCd pic.twitter.com/4XCAkKgbH7
— Channel NewsAsia (@ChannelNewsAsia) March 2, 2016
