2nd LD: People along coastal areas on alert of tsunami after Indonesia's strong quake

Community living along the west coast of Sumatra Island of Indonesia are on alert of possible tsunami after a powerful quake, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, rocked the areas, officials said.

The meteorology and geophysics agency revised downward the magnitude of the quake from its previous publication of 8.3-magnitude, an official of the agency told Xinhua via phone.

Head of the Disaster Management Agency in West Sumatra Province Zulfiatno said the quake triggered panic and the community are on alert of possible tsunami.

"So far, there is no an initial report of damage or casualty. But the people here are panic and preparing for countering risks of possible tsunami," Zulfiatno told Xinhua.

The quake struck at 19:49 p.m. local time with epicenter at 682 km southwest Mentawai islands and with the depth of 10 km under the sea bed, the official of the meteorology agency said.

The warning was issued for West Sumatra province and neighboring provinces of North Sumatra, Aceh, Bengkulu and Lampung, he said.

Australian authorities also issued a tsunami warning after the quake.

Indonesia is prone to quake as it lies on a vulnerable quake hit zone called the Pacific Ring of Fire. Enditem