A major quake in the Indian Ocean has hit the coast of the Indonesian tsunami-hit island of Sumatra, triggering an alert across the region.
The quake was given a magnitude of 8.2 by the US Geological Survey who have warned it could cause tidal waves.
The epicentre was located at about 200 km (125 miles) off the mainland.
The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake could cause a "widely destructive tsunami" and it was felt as far away as Malaysia.
"Authorities in those regions should be aware of this possibility and take immediate action," the center said in a statement on its website.
It comes three months after a major earthquake and subsequent tsunami in the Indian Ocean on 26 December caused major damage and killed tens of thousands of people in the region.
Russ Evans, a seismologist from the British Geological Survey, told the BBC the Boxing Day earthquake had a magnitude of 9.5.
He says the latest quake was almost certainly an after-shock from the first one and that a tsunami was certainly possible, but on a smaller scale.
'I heard my neighbours screaming'
The quake struck between the Sumatran cities of Padang and Medan at around 2315 local time (1615 GMT) and lasted up to three minutes, said Ramlan of Indonesia's Meteorological and Geophysics Office.
Power blackouts and major panic ensued, local officials told AFP news agency.
The quake was felt across the region with people in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, some 500km away, evacuating high-rise buildings and running out into the streets.
"I was getting ready for bed, and suddenly, the room started shaking," said Kuala Lumpur resident Jessie Chong.
"I thought I was hallucinating at first, but then I heard my neighbours screaming and running out."
Thailand, which was also hit by the 26 December disaster, has issued an tsunami alert.
osman,pray for the people inshallah. On the bbc website it says it hit sumatra. Mauritus may not have taken the full effect inshallah. Allah knows best. May allah give them strength and keep them safe. May allah send his mercy upon them and may he send his mercy upon us.
:rose: A Rose Protects Its Beauty With Thorns, A Woman Protects Hers With A Veil
May Allah swt make it al easier for them .. n save the Ummah from such calamities . (Ameen)
The Prophet said, "Nobody who enters Paradise likes to go back to the world even if he got everything on the earth, except a Mujahid who wishes to return to the world so that he may be martyred ten times because of the dignity he receives (from Allah)."
ya allah
ive just checked the teletext on TV
its so shocking.....
it so sad....
i wonder how many of our muslim brothers and sister have died
....its so scary...im so glad it didnt happen over here ..otherwise id b dead by now!!
the lesson to be learned is: dont take things 4 granted
we never know when our life will end - so make the most of it
my friends nanima passed away seevral weeks ago...but he was fortunate...the night before he saw her...so he was lucky enough to see her one last time. many of us never get that chance.
i didnt get that chance.
Someone said to the Prophet, "Pray to God against the idolaters and curse them." The Prophet replied, "I have been sent to show mercy and have not been sent to curse." (Muslim)
People panicked and fled within seconds of the quake
Hundreds of people are believed to have died in Indonesia after a massive earthquake that triggered tsunami alerts around the Indian Ocean.
The island of Nias off Sumatra was worst hit in the 8.7 magnitude quake.
It was felt as far away as Malaysia and Singapore, and thousands fled their homes across a region still reeling from December's devastating tsunami.
But three hours after the quake, tsunami alerts were called off, and people began returning home.
The 26 December tsunami killed an estimated 300,000 people in a dozen countries - two-thirds of them in Indonesia.
Panic
The islands of Nias and Simeulue off the western coast of Sumatra bore the brunt of the quake which struck at around 2315 local time (1615 GMT) and lasted up to three minutes.
Nias, not far from the epicentre, lies about 200km (125 miles) off the Sumatran mainland, and to the south of the province of Aceh, the area worst affected by the 26 December tsunami.
Vice-President Jusuf Kalla told the BBC "more than 1,000 people were possibly dead" in Nias.
However, this was only an estimate based on an assessment of damaged buildings, not a body count. Local officials earlier said about 300 people were feared dead.
Gunungsitoli is now like a dead town
Agus Mendrofa
Official on Nias island
In pictures: Region panics
Thousands flee coastal areas
How earthquakes happen
Around 80% of buildings had been affected in the town of Gunungsitoli, Mr Kalla said.
Ojak Laurentius Sihonbing, a newspaper journalist in Gunungsitoli, said the town had been devastated.
"Many shops on the main road have been destroyed. A lot of them are two-storey buildings. Many roads are cracked and buses can't get through. Power lines are damaged with many tilting at 45 degrees."
He said people had not returned to their homes - they were scared as there were aftershocks - the latest measuring 5.7.
Agus Mendrofa, deputy mayor of Gunungsitoli, told Indonesian TV: "Gunungsitoli is now like a dead town. The situation here is in extreme panic."
The government is sending an assessment team to Nias and Simeulue and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has declared a state of emergency in the area.
Despite Nias's remoteness it has become a popular resort in recent years with surfers and the money raised from tourism funded a mini building boom, says the BBC's Tim Johnston in Jakarta.
Reports say it was many of these buildings, made from concrete rather than more flexible traditional materials, that collapsed with such disastrous results, our correspondent says.
Tsunami alerts
In Aceh, worst-hit in December, there was pandemonium as people scrambled to higher ground after the government issued a tsunami warning.
In the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, some 500km from the epicentre, high-rise buildings were evacuated and people ran into the streets.
Ninety seconds is a very long time in an earthquake
Gareth A Richards
Kuala Lumpur resident
Your comments
Thailand and India, badly hit by the December disaster, temporarily issued tsunami alerts while sirens blared in Sri Lanka as people evacuated coastal areas.
Hours later, however, the alerts were called off and people began making their way back.
US Geological Survey spokesman Don Blakeman said that while Monday's quake was an after-shock of December's quake, it was also a "very serious earthquake in its own right".
The epicentres of the two earthquakes were about 160km (100 miles) apart.
However, no tsunami materialised as a smaller area of the ocean floor moved, seismologists say.
"In terms of the size of the event, the main surface rupture of [this] earthquake was probably one quarter of that on Boxing Day - less ocean floor moved," said Geoscience Australia seismologist Trevor Allen.
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i just made a discussion on GC ...didnt know we had this world affairs thread
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