Another Quake Rocks Indonesia

Indonesia issued a tsunami warning on Monday after a powerful earthquake struck off the western coast of Sumatra island. No injuries were immediately reported and the big wave warning was cancelled shortly after it was issued.

The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.3, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was centered in the Indian Ocean around 96 miles from the coastal town of Bengkulu, Indonesia's geophysics agency said in a statement.

Residents in Bengkulu told el-Shinta radio station they felt the quake strongly, but that it did not appear to have caused major damage in the region, which late Sunday was also hit by a strong quake.

Another strong quake killed three people in Indonesia last Wednesday. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake, that left dozens injured, had a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 and struck under the island of Simeulue off the western coast of Sumatra.

Indonesia does not have equipment to measure changes in sea level that would indicate an actual tsunami was on its way. Agencies routinely issue warnings after shallow offshore quakes with a magnitude of 6.5 or above strike.

Indonesia, which straddles a series of active fault lines, is prone to seismic and volcanic activity. A giant earthquake along the same coast spawned the large tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people in a number of countries in December 2004.

Authorities in the U.S. said the West Coast was not at risk for a tsunami following the strong earthquake in Indonesia.

Officials said California, Oregon, Alaska and Washington state were not expected to be at risk for one and no warning watch or advisory was put into effect for those areas.