Just three months after the horror, massive quake triggers tsunami fears

A POWERFUL earthquake struck off the west coast of Indonesia late yesterday, sending residents in several countries fleeing in panic fearing that it would cause the region's second tsunami disaster three months on.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake occurred on a segment of the same fault line that triggered the December 26 earthquake, the world's biggest in 40 years, and measured a magnitude of 8.7. The temblor occurred at 11.09pm local time (5.09pm Irish time).

Tsunami warnings were issued in Thailand, Japan and Sri Lanka, although officials in Thailand later called it off for that country. The only tsunami reported within four hours was a tiny one less than four inches at the Cocos Islands, 1,400 miles west of Australia, meteorologists in Sydney said.