Indonesia Aceh quake triggers Indian Ocean tsunami alert

[Gerald]

The BBC's Karishma Vaswani in Jakarta says the roads in Banda Aceh are packed with people seeking higher ground

An earthquake with a magnitude of 8.6 has struck under the sea off Indonesia's northern Aceh province.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) said a tsunami had been generated but its likely impact was not yet clear.

It advised national authorities across the Indian Ocean region to "take appropriate action".

The region is regularly hit by earthquakes. The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 killed 170,000 people in Aceh.

One official quoted by Reuters said a 17cm (6.7in) tsunami had been generated and was heading for the coast of Aceh.

The US Geological Survey (USGS), which documents quakes worldwide, said the Aceh quake was centred 33km (20 miles) under the sea about 495km from Banda Aceh, the provincial capital.

It was initially reported as 8.9 magnitude but was later revised down to 8.6 by the USGS. Strong aftershocks were also reported.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17675399

Note: 11 April 2012 Last updated at 10:44 GMT