Major earthquake strikes off Indonesia

A major earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia on Wednesday, off the west coast of the island of Sumatra, in the Indian Ocean.

The powerful and shallow shake was initially registered as an 8.2 magnitude by the US Geological Survey, before being revised down to an 8.1, and then a 7.9. Earthquake magnitudes are commonly revised as seismometer data is processed.

USGS said the epicentre was 502 miles southwest of Padang, and was only six miles deep. The shallower the quake, the more powerful the shaking on the surface, though there were no immediate reports of major damage or casualties.

Indonesia's weather and geological agency, Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi dan Geofisika, reportedly issued a tsunami warning for parts of the island group, though its website was soon unreachable.

The country was devastated by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, which was triggered by a shallow earthquake in the Indian Ocean. A total of 230,000 were estimated killed in the tragedy, with almost 170,000 of those in Indonesia.