A second powerful earthquake in less than 24 hours, has struck the Indonesian island, Sumatra, triggering a tsunami warning. The warning was soon lifted. Nancy-Amelia Collins in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, has more on the story.
A powerful earthquake struck the Indonesian island, Sumatra, early Thursday morning -- just about eight hours after a magnitude 8.4 magnitude quake struck the same area, killing several people and toppling buildings.
The U.S. Geological Survey says Thursday's quake had a magnitude of 7.8 and is some 200 kilometers from Bengkulu, on Sumatra island, which is just a bit further north than Wednesday evening's tremor.
U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Dale Grant says this quake has the potential to wreak further damage in the area.
"Any time you see a magnitude 7.8, which we consider a major quake, there is the possibility for damage. There certainly appears to be damage, especially to those homes and buildings that are older," he said.
Local officials say Thursday's earthquake has caused more buildings to collapse in the area.
Hospitals in the region report more than 100 people have been injured, so far, but the extent of the deaths and injuries is still not clear.
Wednesday's 8.4 earthquake caused a small, one-meter tsunami to hit the Padang.
The government has an early warning tsunami system in place and officials say it appears to be working, as residents fled to higher ground going by previously arranged routes after Wednesday's powerful quake.
In December, 2004, a massive 9.1 earthquake triggered a tsunami that struck Indonesia's Aceh province, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, killing more than 160,000 people there.
That tsunami killed more than 230,000 people in a dozen Indian Ocean countries.
Indonesia is the "Pacific Rim of Fire," which is an area prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
