A magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra late Monday, prompting warnings of a possible tsunami in the Indian Ocean. The quake occurred in the same area as the massive earthquake that triggered a tsunami across the region, killing more than 300,000 people.
Frightened residents fled to high ground in the Indonesian city of Banda Aceh, where 200,000 died in December's tsunami. Similar scares were reported elsewhere around the Indian Ocean, after the quake struck late Monday.
Indonesia, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka have all issued tsunami warnings. However, a few hours after the quake, there were no reports of any tsunamis.
J. Radakrishnan is an official in the town of Nagapattinam on India's southeast coast, which was hit hard in December.
"We are also keeping our fingers crossed, because, now, I think, the latest media reports suggest that it might not result in a tsunami. So, we are keeping our fingers crossed and we are with the people," he said.
After Monday's quake, there were reports of damage and many deaths on Indonesia's Nias island, off western Sumatra.
