Indonesia lifts tsunami warning after strong quake

Indonesia's geophysics agencylifted a tsunami warning on Friday after a strong quake off theislands of Sumatra and Java.

Authorities initially urged coastal-dwellers to head for higher ground on Fridayafter the quake, which the U.S. Geological Survey initially said had a magnitude of 7and hit at a depth of 59 kilometres, about 227 kilometresfrom the city of Teluk Betung.

The magnitude was later lowered to 6.9.

The geophysics agency initially said there was a risk of a tsunami of in southern parts of PandeglangRegency and Panaitan island in Banten province, and Lampungprovince in Sumatra. That risk has now been lifted.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, but strong tremors were felt in Jakarta, the capital, prompting people to run out of office buildings.

The quake could also be felt in other cities such as Yogyakarta on Java island.

"It was so scary," said Gustiani Pratiwi, who was carrying two children near an apartment block in Jakarta when she felt the quake strongly.

TV footage showed passengers at Jakarta's internationalairport rushing out of a terminal building, but authoritieslater said the airport was operating normally.

One social media video showed panicked guests dashing outpast a hotel swimming pool in Tasikmalya on Java island.

Indonesia is situated on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, which is frequently hit by earthquakes and sometimes accompanying tsunamis.

Indonesia's geophysics agency said it would keep monitoring for a potential tsunami until at least 9:35 p.m. local timeand warned residents to stay alert.

'We are panicking a lot'

The most devastating in recent Indonesian history was on Dec. 26 in 2004, when a magnitude 9.5 quake triggered a massive tsunami that killed around 226,000 people along the shorelines of the Indian Ocean, including more than 126,000 in Indonesia.

Last year, a tsunami hit the city of Palu in Sulawesi island, killing thousands, while a crater collapse at the Anak Krakatau volcano triggered a tsunami that killed at least 430 people in an area near the latest quake.

At Carita beach in Banten, which was affected by the Anak Krakatau quake, a resident described the alarm in the area.

"We are panicking a lot," Sandi, a resident of Carita beach, told Metro TV by telephone.