The Indonesian government has lifted a tsunami warning issued after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra.
The quake hit at a depth of 29 kilometres, 420km south-west of Banda Aceh, the US Geological Survey said.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre had issued a statement saying that while a widespread tsunami threat did not exist, coasts near the epicentre could be affected by a tsunami.
An official at Indonesia’s Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said there were no immediate reports of casualties and later lifted the warning.
In Banda Aceh, the ground shook for 30 seconds and terrified residents rushed out of their homes, but they returned indoors shortly after, an AFP reporter there said.
In December 2004, a giant 9.1-magnitude quake off the coast of Aceh triggered a tsunami in the Indian Ocean that claimed 220,000 lives, with Indonesians accounting for three-quarters of the figure.
