Strong Earthquake Hits off Coast of Sumatra (again)

Early reports are that a 7.2-7.4 magnitude earthquake has struck off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The US Geological Survey said the quake hit at a depth of 61.4 km (38.2 miles) at 05:59:43 UTC (1pm local time).

It struck 140 miles south of Banda Aceh on Indonesia’s Sumatra island Sunday, prompting the issuance of a tsunami warning. The epicenter of the quake is just north of the spot where a 7.8 hit on April 6th of this year as well as the 9.2 magnitude earthquake in 2004 whose tsunami killed over 200,000 people.

“A destructive widespread tsunami threat does not exist based on historical earthquake and tsunami data,” the USGS said.

“However there is the possibility of a local tsunami that could affect coasts located usually no more than a hundred kilometers from the earthquake epicenter.”