Tsunami alert as quake hits Indonesia, India not affected

Jakarta, May 9 (ANI): Indonesia has issued a tsunami alert after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck near the province of Aceh.

But the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake alert does not pose threat to India.

According to USGS, the quake struck offshore, 214km (133 miles) south-east of the State capital of Banda Aceh.

The site is very close to that of the December 2004 earthquake that triggered the Indian Ocean tsunami, which killed about 220,000 people.

According to Indonesia's earthquake agency, the epicentre was about 66km (41 miles) south-west of Meulaboh District, an area which was devastated in the December 26, 2004 earthquake and tsunami.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that while a tsunami warning was in effect for Indonesia, a destructive widespread tsunami threat does not exist based on historical earthquake and tsunami data.'

It said a local tsunami could affect coasts located usually no more than 100 km from the epicenter.

Indonesia is located on the volatile Pacific Ring of Fire, a belt of tectonic activity girdling the Pacific Ocean that triggers earthquakes and volcanic activity. (ANI)