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Major Earthquake Strikes off Indonesia's Sumatra Island

   VOA News 25 October 2010

   A  major  earthquake  has  struck off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra
   island,  and  authorities  have issued a local tsunami warning for the
   area.
   The  U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.5
   with  an  epicenter  near  Indonesia's Mentawai islands, off Sumatra's
   western coast. The quake happened Monday at 1442 UTC.

   So far there are no reports of damage or casualties.

   Indonesian  authorities  and  the  U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center
   issued  a local tsunami alert. But the Pacific center said it does not
   see a wider tsunami threat to the region.
   Indonesia  straddles  several  fault  lines  that make the vast island
   nation vulnerable to volcanic and seismic activity.
   A giant quake hit off Sumatra's coast on December 26, 2004, triggering
   an  Indian  Ocean  tsunami that killed 230,000 people, half of them in
   Indonesia's Aceh province.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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