A 7.7 earthquake shook Indonesia's northwest island of Sumatra early Wednesday, prompting a brief tsunami warning and sending residents rushing for higher ground. There were scattered reports of injuries, but only minor damage was immediately reported.
The quake struck at 5:15 a.m. and was centered 125 miles northwest of the coastal town of Sibolga in Sumatra at a depth of 19 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It had earlier said the quake measured 7.8.
Indonesia's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu issued tsunami warnings following the quake, but lifted them two hours later.
Six people were hospitalized in Sinabang on Simeulue island with injuries sustained when their homes collapsed, a nurse at the local hospital said. One man was in critical condition.
Fauzi, a seismologist at the meteorology agency, said the quake would have "at least caused cracks in many buildings and houses, especially in areas closest to the epicenter."
"That's why we are still trying to get data of damage in some remote areas that remain difficult to reach due to lack of communication and blackout," said Fauzi, who goes by only one name.
Local network Metro TV reported that a dormitory for nurses partially collapsed in Aceh's Singkil district and one woman suffered minor injuries in the rush to get out of the building.
At least five strong aftershocks measuring up to 5.2 were recorded, the meteorology agency said.
Panic in Medan
The quake, which struck as people in the region were preparing for morning prayers, caused panic in North Sumatra's capital of Medan, about 135 miles from the epicenter, and other cities in the region. Electricity was cut in Medan, Banda Aceh — the provincial capital of Aceh — and other areas.
A receptionist at the JW Marriott Hotel in Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, told NBC News he felt the quake quite strongly. Guests came down to the lobby to find out what happened but the hotel did not appear to be damaged.
Flex Lilisuheri, a local guide in Buki Lawang, North Sumatra, said the quake violently shook houses. He told NBC people ran into the streets and the electricity went off.
People in several cities along the southeastern coast of Sumatra as well as Sinabang on Simeulue island and Gunung Sitoli on nearby Nias island poured into the streets and rushed to higher ground after the quake.
"Rumors about a tsunami panicked villagers living near the beach," said Eddy Effendi, a resident on Nias island. "They ran away on motorbikes and cars or by climbing the hills. There was panic and chaos everywhere, but I don't see serious damage or injuries in my village."
Residents in Sibolga said the shaking lasted more than a minute and utility poles in the area were knocked down.
The quake was felt as far away as the outskirts of Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur, about 320 miles away. There were no reports of damage there.
A 2004 tsunami triggered by a magnitude-9.2 earthquake in the same part of Indonesia killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries on the Indian Ocean basin.