8.6 quake hits off Sumatra

MANILA, Philippines—An 8.6 magnitude earthquake stuck off Sumatra, Indonesia at 2:38 p.m. (Indonesia time), the US Geological Survey said Wednesday.

Tsunami warnings have been issued in different Southeast Asian nations.

The strong quake struck 434 kilometers southwest of Banda Aceh in Sumatra at a depth of 22.9 kilometers.

The USGS initially put the magnitude at 8.9.

Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where the meeting of continental plates causes strong seismic activity including earthquakes and volcanic activity.

On December 26, 2004 a 9.2-magnitude earthquake off Sumatra generated a catastrophic tsunami that wrought devastation across southern Asia, killing an estimated 220,000 people.