A tsunami warning has been issued for almost the entire Indian Ocean region following the quake. A small tsunami was triggered in Padang, on Sumatra and measured about two feet high, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. This tsunami was relatively small when compared to the devastation wrecked by the December 2004 tsunami, which claimed over 200,000 lives in the region.

Indonesia, which is the world's largest archipelago, is located right in the middle of the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire." This area is prone to seismic disruptions thanks to the volcanoes as well as fault lines located in the Pacific Basin.

The current earthquake has prompted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center to issue a tsunami watch for a wide area in the Indian Ocean. "Earthquakes of this size have the potential to generate a widespread destructive tsunami that can affect coastlines across the entire Indian Ocean Basin," it said in the warning.

Australia and Indonesia could be engulfed in monster waves in the hour, while the waves could strike Indian and Sri Lankan Coasts within three hours, it added.

"However - it is not known that a tsunami was generated. This watch is based only on earthquake evaluation.. Authorities in the region should take appropriate action in response to the possibility of a widespread destructive tsunami," the center added in its official release.

Electricity and telecommunications were disrupted in Bengkulu Province of Sumatra as panicked residents headed inland. However 90 minutes after the earthquake struck, there were no signs of rising waves that portend a tsunami.

The earthquake was so powerful that it sent tremors to Jakarta located 600 kilometers away from the epicenter. High-rise buildings in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand also felt the tremors, it is reported.

Meanwhile the Sri Lanka Meteorological Department said that it had ordered evacuation from its eastern and southern beaches. the agency said it might also move people away from tourist regions. In India Andaman & Nicobar Islands and the southern coast of Tamil Nadu are on a tsunami alert.