Quake kills 3 in Indonesia
A powerful earthquake struck western Indonesia today, killing three people and injuring 25 others, officials said. A tsunami warning was briefly triggered, but no waves were detected. The US geological survey said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 and struck under the island of Simeulue off the western coast of Sumatra - the region worst hit in the 2004 tsunami. Rustam Pakaya, the head of the Indonesian health ministry's disaster center, said "many' buildings on Simeulue were damaged and three people were killed. He said at least 25 others were seriously injured. Meanwhile, rough sea and high tide scared people of Thengaipatinam village in the coastal district of Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu today. Official sources said the boats on the seashore were swept away by the high tides and walls of the houses near the shore also collapsed. An Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) said there was no possibility of a tsunami hitting any Indian region following the massive undersea earthquake off Sumatra that caused damage in Indonesia.