Saturday, January 1 2005 18:16 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Jakarta: A large earthquake struck under the sea off Indonesia's Sumatra Islands today (Jan 1, 2005), seismologists said.

The Hong Kong Observatory reported a "severe earthquake" at 06:22 GMT (11:52 hrs IST), with an estimated magnitude of 6.5 on the Richter scale, with its epicentre 350 km west of Banda Aceh.

The quake was close to the epicentre of last Sunday's (Dec 26, 2004) earthquake, which measured 9.0 on the Richter scale and unleashed tsunami, which killed at least 125,000 people around Asia.

An correspondent in Banda Aceh said no tremor was felt there today.

However, the State Seismological Bureau of China (SSB) said the new tremor had a magnitude of 7.0, Xinhua said.

"This is the biggest earthquake we've monitored in the region since December 26 when there were earthquakes of 8.7 and a 7.5 in magnitude," an official with the State Seismological Bureau of China said.

"It is hard to say if there will be more tsunamis because there are a lot of factors involved."

The US Geological Survey's website said the quake registered 6.5 on the Richter scale at 06:22 GMT (11:52 hrs IST). Thai seismologists measured it at 5.4.

An official at France's Observatory of Earth Sciences of Strasbourg said that the new quake measured 6.5 on the Richter scale, making it a large tremor although nowhere near as big as last Sunday's.

There was no danger of another tidal wave, the Strasbourg centre said.

Seismologists in Bangladesh also put the earthquake at a magnitude of 6.5.