JAKARTA, Indonesia — A 7.7-magnitude earthquake shook Indonesia’s northwest island of Sumatra early today, prompting a brief tsunami warning and sending residents rushing for higher ground.
There were no immediate reports of widespread damage.
The quake struck at 5:15 a.m. and was centered 125 miles northwest of Sibolga in Sumatra at a depth of 28.6 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The Indonesia Meteorology and Geophysics Agency and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu issued tsunami warnings after the quake but lifted them two hours later.
“So far, no damage or casualties have been reported and the situation is under control,” Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf said.
At least five strong aftershocks measuring up to 5.2 were recorded, the meteorology agency said.
The quake, which struck as people in the region were preparing for morning prayers, caused panic in North Sumatra’s capital of Medan and other cities in the region. Electricity was cut in Medan and Banda Aceh, provincial capital of Aceh.
