Tsunami Warning Lifted 
7.8 Sumatra Earthquake
In Western Indonesia
ISLAM NEWSROOM: EARTHQUAKES “7.8M Hits Western Indonesia”
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of western Indonesia, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reports.
Damage reports have not yet been calculated or estimated.
The USGS said the earthquake struck at 19:49 local time (12:49 GMT). It said the epicentre was 805km (500 miles) south-west of the city of Padang, and 24km deep.
Deaths have occurred resulting from the giant earthquake. According to Rueters - "There are some who have died," said Heronimus Guru, the agency's deputy head of operations. He declined to provide further information.
Indonesia's National Meteorological Agency lifted its tsunami warnings several hours after the tremors.
Australian tsunami warnings for Cocos Island, Christmas Island and Western Australia were also lifted.
'Roads jammed'
Residents near the city of Padang told the BBC that they felt two earthquakes around two minutes apart.
Jusuf Wiwekananda, a pilot in Padang, told the BBC the earthquake was "very powerful".
"The walls of my hotel room shook and made a loud sound. I have heard there are a lot of people trying to reach higher ground because of the tsunami reports, so some of the roads are jammed."
Telephone communication was reported to be down in the Mentawai island chain, closer to the epicentre.
DEADLIEST TSUMNAMI - 2004
9.1M (magnitude) earthquake struck 160 kilometers (99 miles) off the western coast of northern Sumatra, resulting in a tsunami (on land it becomes a giant tidal wave).
230,000 people were killed across a dozen countries, including Thailand.
The disaster killed 126,741 people in the Indonesian province of Aceh alone.
After that disaster, a more effective tsunami monitoring system was put in place. Warnings are now issued more frequently after earthquakes in the area.
Indonesia lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" of plate boundaries, which produces high levels of seismic activity, including frequent earthquakes.
No tsunami warnings were issued in India or Sri Lanka.
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