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Strong undersea earthquake hits off western Indonesia; no immediate reports of casualties

A strong, shallow undersea earthquake has hit parts of Indonesia's Sumatra island, causing panic but there are no immediate reports of casualties.

The U.S. Geological Survey says Sunday's 6.2-magnitude quake at a depth of 9 kilometers (5.5 miles) beneath the sea was centered 319 kilometers (197 miles) southwest of Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province.

Indonesia's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency put a preliminary magnitude at 6.4 and says it had no potential to trigger a tsunami.

Suhardjono, the agency official who like many Indonesians uses one name, said the quake was felt across many parts of the province, causing panic among some residents.

In 2004, a monster temblor off Aceh triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries. Most of the deaths were in Aceh.