Strong Quake quake hits Indonesia's tsunami region

LOS ANGELES - An earthquake measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale rocked northern Sumatra in the same Indonesia region which provoked the Asian tsunami disaster in December, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said Monday.
The USGS told CNN television that there was a risk of a new tsunami and that warnings had been sent to the region.
The USGS said the quake struck at 1609 GMT and was an aftershock of the quake on December 26 that sparked giant tidal waves that killed 273,000 people in countries around the Indian Ocean, according to a latest toll.
The centrepoint was located about 205 kilometers (125 miles) west-of Sibolga on Sumatra and 245 km (150 miles) southwest of the Sumatra city of Medan.
The December 26 quake measured 9.0 on the Richter and the new tremor was the biggest in a series of aftershocks since then, the USGS said. An earthquake over 8 on the Richter scale is strong enough to cause massive damage and loss of life.
"It's not as large as the main shock but it is a great earthquake," Julie Martinez, a USGS official, told CNN television. "There's a potential for some wave activity, but at this time we don't have any information."

03/28/2005 17:13 GMT