Apr 2012 - Tsunami warning to 24 Countries after Indonesia Aceh quakes triggers
US monitors issued an Indian Ocean-wide tsunami watch after the quake, which according to the US Geological Survey struck off the coast of Sumatra at 2:38 pm (0838 GMT) at a depth of 33 kilometres (20.5 miles).
USGS had initially reported it as an 8.9-magnitude quake.
Sri Lanka and India issued tsunami warnings while Thailand urged people on the Andaman coast, a popular tourist destination, to move to safety.
A Sri Lanka government statement said waves could hit the island's eastern coast by about 10:40 GMT and urged an orderly evacuation of the coastal strip.
India on Wednesday issued a tsunami warning for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, located in the Indian Ocean.
The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Service issued a red high-level warning for the islands, and also put out lower alerts for the coasts of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu states in the southeast of the country.
Thailand's National Disaster Warning Centre advised people in the area to move to higher places and stay as far away as possible from the sea. The quake swayed buildings as far away as Thailand's capital Bangkok.
Australian Bonnie Muddle, vacationing in the Thai resort island of Phuket at the time of the quake, said people were being evacuated from popular tourist areas including Krabi and Phang nag bay.
"Everyone is getting a little concerned over here," she told AFP.
On December 26, 2004 a 9.2-magnitude earthquake off Sumatra generated a catastrophic tsunami that wrought devastation across southern Asia, killing an estimated 220,000 people.
Last year, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake caused a tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan, killing some 19,000 people.
On Wednesday Japan's Meteorological Agency said that there was no risk of a tsunami affecting Japanese coasts.
Geoscience Australia, Canberra's geohazards agency, said there was no risk to Australia from the jolt. Taiwan and New Zealand also said the earthquake posed no threat to the respective countries.
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 / SINGAPORE
Tsunami Travel Times:
