An earthquake with an initial magnitude of 8.7 has struck off the west coast of Northern Sumatra in Indonesia on Wednesday.
The quake at a depth of 33 km under the sea off northern Aceh province occurred at 2:38 pm local time, U.S. Geological Survey said.
The quake triggered a tsunami warning across the Indian Ocean region.
Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said quakes of such a magnitude "have the potential to generate a widespread destructive tsunami that can affect coastlines across the entire Indian Ocean basin".
Authorities in the region have been advised to take "appropriate action in response to the possibility of a widespread destructive tsunami."
A tsunami watch is in effect for Indonesia, India, Sri lanka, Australia, Myanmar, Thailand, Maldives, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Mauritius, Reunion, Seychelles, Pakistan, Somalia, Oman, Madagascar, Iran, UAE, Yemen, Comores, Bangladesh, Tanzania, Mozambique, Kenya, Crozet Islands, Kerguelen islands, South Africa, and Singapore.
Tremors were felt in many parts of some of these countries, reports said.
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