West coast of Sumatra hit by quake of magnitude 7.8

Jakarta

Indonesia was hit on Wednesday by a massive and shallow earthquake off the west coast of Sumatra, a region devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean quake and tsunami, and there were early reports of deaths. Tremors were also felt in some parts of Singapore including Jurong.

A tsunami alert issued by Indonesia after the quake which occurred at 1250 GMT was later called off. "There are some who have died," said Heronimus Guru, the deputy head of operations with the National Search and Rescue Agency. He did not know how many, but any rescue operation will be hampered by the dark, which falls early in the tropical archipelago.