An 8.6-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Wednesday afternoon, causing a tsunami alert for the Indian Ocean. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake struck about 434 kilometers southwest of the capital of Indonesia’s Aceh province, Banda Aceh, and had a depth of 23 kilometers. A tsunami watch has been issued for the entire Indian Ocean, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. Authorities in India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands have ordered people to move out of low-lying areas.
A 9.1-magnitude underwater earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra in 2004, producing a tsunami that killed more than 200,000 people in 14 countries, with the majority in Indonesia. The earthquake had a depth of 30 kilometers, caused nearly $10 billion in damage, and had more casualties than any other tsunami in history, according to the United Nations.
