Sunday, December 26 2004 11:04 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Jakarta: A strong earthquake rocked the northern tip of the Indonesian island of Sumatra today (Dec 26, 2004), with residents reporting collapsed buildings and possible casualties.

Indonesian seismologists said the quake measured 6.6 on the Richter scale while officials at the Strasbourg Observatory in France put the tremor at a massive eight on the scale.

Scientists in Indonesia initially said the tremor measured 6.4 but revised the estimate when more data became available.

The earthquake hit at around 6:28 hrs (IST) and was centred in the Indian Ocean, some 260 Kilometres southwest of Meulaboh on the western coast of Aceh, Budi Waluyo of the Jakarta Meteorology and Geophysics Office.

The temblor was felt in various cities and towns in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Aceh, three provinces on the northern half of Sumatra island, Waluyo said.

A reporter of the private ElShinta radio said that the earthquake caused substantial damage in Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province, including the partial collapse of the centrally located Kuala Tripa hotel and several shops as well as cracks on the road.

There were unconfirmed reports of casualties when the buildings collapsed.