Strong 6.8 Earthquake strikes off Indonesia's west coast, Tsunami warning issued

A tsunami warning has been issued an earthquake of magnitude 6.8 struck off  southwest of Sumatra, Indonesia. As per information by  US Geological Survey, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck west coast of Indonesia on Friday evening (IST). In aftermath of earthquake, Indonesian geophysics ncy has issued a Tsunami warning.

As per United States Geological Survey (USGS), earthquake hit at a depth of 59km (37 miles), about 227km (141 miles) from city of Teluk Betung on island of Sumatra.  quake shook multiple buildings in capital city of Jakarta.

As per media reports, re have immediate reports of dam or casualties, but strong tremors were felt in Jakarta, causing panic among people around region.

Indonesia's disaster mitigation ncy also took to Twitter asking residents of Banten coast and nearby areas to "immediately evacuate to higher ground".  epicentre of quake is said to be  south of Java island in Indian Ocean.

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Earlier on July 8, a strong magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck off Indonesia US Geological Survey reported. quake triggered a brief tsunami warning following which  panicked residents fled to  higher grounds.

Souast Asian nation is one of most disaster-hit on Earth due to its position straddling so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates collide. Earthquakes and tsunamis have claimed thousands of lives in recent years

In 2018, a 7.5-magnitude quake and a subsequent tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi island took more than 2,200 lives with a thousand more declared missing. Indonesia has been hit by a string of deadly quakes including a devastating 2004 tremor measuring 9.1 magnitude that struck off coast of Sumatra and triggered a tsunami that killed 220,000 throughout region, including 168,000 in Indonesia.

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(With PTI inputs)