8.3-magnitude quake hits Indonesia, tsunami alert issued

An earthquake measuring 8.3 on the Richter scale jolted West Sumatra in Indonesia on Wednesday and a tsunami alert was issued, an official of the meteorology and geophysics agency said

Jakarta: An earthquake measuring 8.3 on the Richter scale jolted West Sumatra in Indonesia on Wednesday and a tsunami alert was issued, an official of the meteorology and geophysics agency said.

The quake struck at 7.49 p.m. local time with the epicentre 682 km southwest of Mentawai islands and at a depth of 10 km under the sea bed, the official told Xinhua.

The warning was issued for the West Sumatra province and neighbouring provinces of North Sumatra, Aceh, Bengkulu and Lampung, said the official.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where the meeting of continental plates causes strong seismic activity, and is frequently hit by earthquakes.

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