Magnitude 8.7 Earthquake Hits Off Indonesia Coast, Tsunami Warning Issued

Posted April 11th, 2012 at 5:25 am (UTC-5)
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The U.S. Geological Survey says a huge 8.7-magnitude earthquake has struck off the northwestern coast of Indonesia, sparking a tsunami warning in the Indian Ocean.

The quake hit about 430 kilometers southwest of Banda Aceh, the provincial capital and largest city in the province of Aceh, at an estimated depth of 33 kilometers.

In 2004, a giant quake off of Indonesia's Sumatra island triggered an Indian Ocean tsunami that killed 230,000 people, about half of them in Aceh province.

Wednesday's quake was felt as far away as Singapore, Thailand, and India.

The massive quake that devastated coastal northeastern Japan last year was a magnitude 9.0.