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JAKARTA - A 7.2-magnitude quake struck off the west coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island Monday, briefly triggering a tsunami alert, seismologists said, but there were no reports of damage.
The quake hit 165 kilometres (103 miles) northwest of Sumatra's Mukomuko at 3:36pm (0836 GMT) at a depth of 10 kilometres, triggering a tsunami warning that was lifted less than an hour later, the agency said.
The US Geological Survey measured the quake at 7.3 and said it occurred at a depth of 35 kilometres.
The quake was felt in tall buildings in the capital Jakarta, where pictures swayed on walls.
Ike Rahmadani, a housewife in Mukomuko, told AFP that the quake was felt very strongly.
"I took my mother out of the building, although it started to suddenly rain hard just after the quake struck," she said, adding that she had not seen any damage and her neighbours had not heard any reports of damage from friends.
She said residents returned indoors, but were bracing for aftershocks.
In Bengkulu, about 280 kilometres from the epicentre, provincial government official Linda told AFP that the quake was also felt strongly there.
"But, God be praised, there does not appear to be any damage visible so far," she said.
"Everyone rushed out of buildings, but this has become sort of a habit for us all, so there was not panic," she said, adding that people had quickly returned to normal activities in her neighbourhood.
"Although the tremor was very strong, according to preliminary reports there were no casualties" in the main affected areas, Rustam Pakaya, senior health ministry official, told AFP by text message.
An ElShinta radio reporter in Bengkulu also said residents ran outside their homes and had stayed there, fearing further aftershocks.
Bengkulu province was badly damaged in an 8.4-magnitude quake in September that struck off Sumatra's west coast, killing 23 people. It was followed by a series of major aftershocks.
Workers in high-rise office buildings as far away as Singapore felt the tremor.
"At first I thought I had a headache. Then I saw the Chinese New Year ornaments shaking," said research associate Zack Toh, who works on the 35th floor of a high-rise in Singapore.
Last Wednesday, a strong 7.5-magnitude quake rocked Indonesia's Aceh province, at the tip of Sumatra, killing three people and seriously injuring 25 others on remote Simeulue island.
The Indonesian archipelago sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where continental plates collide and cause frequent seismic and volcanic activity.
Indonesia was the nation worst hit by the earthquake-triggered Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004, which killed some 168,000 people in Aceh. - AFP/ir
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