7.3 quake jolts Indonesia; tsunami warning issued

Indonesia: Indonesia issued a tsunami warning on Wednesday after a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck off northern Sumatra, panicking local residents who fled their houses.

Indonesia's meterological and geophysics agency, which routinely issues tsunami warnings for quakes over 7 magnitude, said no wave had been detected so far.

The quake was 420 km (260 miles) southwest of Banda Aceh, the US Geological Survey said.

The US Geological Survey said that the epicenter of the earthquake was 420 km (260 miles) southwest of Banda Aceh.

Local people in Banda Aceh ran away in panic from buildings after news of the tsunami warning and the quake. No major damage in the provincial capital was seen, witnesses said.

A witness at the beach in Aceh said the sea level had decreased following the quake, which happened before a devastating 2004 quake off Aceh created a tsunami that killed over 200,000 people around the Indian Ocean.

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