Major quake rattles Sumatra, tsunami alert in India

New Delhi/Hong Kong, April 11 (IANS) Many states along India's east coast felt tremors as a high intensity earthquake rocked Sumatra Wednesday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. A tsunami warning has been issued in India and 27 other countries

While the IMD put its intensity at 8.5 on the Richter scale, the US Geological Survey classified it an 8.9 temblor, whose epicentre was at a depth of 33 km.

The earthquake had its epicentre off the west coast of northern Sumatra and occurred at 2.08 p.m., the IMD said.

There have been no reports so far of loss of life or property in India or elsewhere.

The IMD also said that shocks were felt along the eastern part of Indian and a tsunami alert had been issued along the eastern coast by the Indian National Tsunami Early Warning System (Incois).

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued the tsunami watch for 28 places, including Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Myanmar, Thailand, Maldives, Britain, Malaysia, Mauritius, Syechelles, Pakistan, Somalia, Oman, Madagascar, Iran, UAE, Yemen, Bangladesh, Tanzania, Mozambique, Kenya, South Africa and Singapore.