JAKARTA, Sept 12: A massive 8.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the western coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra island on Wednesday, toppling buildings and triggering a tsunami alert across the Indian Ocean region.

Ten people were killed and over a hundred injured in the quake, which split open buildings 300 kilometres from the epicentre.

In the capital Jakarta, 600 kilometres further south, high-rise towers wobbled, water sloshed from swimming pools and panicked office workers ran into the streets. Elsewhere, power was knocked out and phone lines went dead.

The huge quake was felt in neighbouring Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, where office buildings swayed and shook.

The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said an alert was raised for the entire Indian Ocean area, including Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the Maldives — all affected by the devastating December 2004 Asian tsunami. “Sea level readings indicate a tsunami was generated.”—AFP