Officials reported at least nine people were killed and more than 100 injured after a strong earthquake and an aftershock struck the Indian Ocean Wednesday.
The quake, registering 8.2 on the Richter scale, destroyed several buildings in Padang and elsewhere, and triggered a small tsunami on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, Voice of America reported. Tsunami warnings were issued throughout the Indian Ocean region.
The Indonesian government issued another tsunami warning after an aftershock registering 6.6 on the Richter scale hit Sumatra.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was about 80 miles southwest of Bengkulu, Sumatra.
Wednesday's quake, felt as far away as Singapore and Thailand, caused skyscrapers in Jakarta to sway.
Indonesian presidential spokesman Andi Mallerangeng said an alerting system seemed to be working.
"People understand what they have to do when the earthquake happens," said Mallerangeng. "Everybody right now knows what to do in case of earthquake and the possibility of tsunami. So they go outside and they go to higher ground and the local government apparatus are making sure that they go through the routes that have already been determined before."
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
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