JAKARTA (AFP) – A major 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia’s coast on Monday, seismologists said, prompting authorities to issue a tsunami watch notice.
The quake hit Indonesia’s Kepulauan Mentawai Region at 9:42 pm (14:42 GMT) at a shallow depth of 14.2 kilometres (9 miles), the US Geological Survey said, revising an earlier report.
The area is 245 kilometres (around 150 miles) west of Bengkulu on Sumatra island and 281 kilometres south of Padang — an area popular with tourists.
The earthquake prompted the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre to issue a statement saying there is a risk of a localised tsumani, although it added that “a destructive, widespread tsunami threat does not exist” based on historical earthquake data.
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
