7.3 quake triggers tsunami alert in Indonesia

7.3 quake jolts Indonesia | USGS map

A 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck off west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia early Wednesday, prompting the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center to issue a tsunami warning.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake, which has a depth of 29.1 km, hit at 12:37 a.m. local time, about 423 km southwest of Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia.

"The quake was in the sea and a tsunami warning is in force, but so far we have no reports of casualties or damage," an official at Indonesia's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency told AFP.

According to an Associated Press report, residents in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh and other cities along the coast were rattled from their sleep. They fled their homes and poured into the streets.

Local officials lifted the tsunami alert, nearly two hours after the quake struck.

Indonesia sits on "Pacific Ring of Fire" where continental plates collide, causing frequent volcanic activity.