Sirens in the night

Initial warnings from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the latest quake had the potential to cause a ‘‘widely destructive ...

Initial warnings from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the latest quake had the potential to cause a ‘‘widely destructive tsunami’’ and authorities should take ‘‘immediate action’’, including evacuating coastlines within 1,000 km of the epicenter. One official said any possible tsunami could be headed towards the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, prompting warnings on the island nation and Madagascar. It was felt as far away as Singapore.

But as the night wore on the fears of a tsunami lessened — Indonesia’s information minister said there were no reports of a tsunami and Thailand downgraded its alert— but nobody was taking any chances.

A spokesman for the US Geological Survey told Reuters the quake struck 125 miles (200 km) west northwest of Sibolga, Sumatra or 880 miles northwest of the Indonesian capital of Jakarta at 1609 GMT, close to where the 9.0 magnitude quake struck in December.

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Thailand issued warnings to people living along parts of its west coast, including tourists on the resort island of Phuket. ‘‘About 3,000 to 4,000 tourists and locals have been evacuated from Patong and Kamala beaches to higher places,’’ Phuket deputy governor Wichai Buapradit told Reuters. ‘‘We’ve told them to take their valuable belongings and to go to higher places,’’ he added.

Sri Lanka’s eastern town of Trincomalee witnessed panic and many coastal areas were evacuated, residents said. “We are not certain that there will be another tsunami, but we not taking any chances,” Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse said. “We have alerted the police to help with the evacuation process.”

Malaysia’s Meteorological Department advised people living in northwestern coastal areas to evacuate their homes. Residents of Penang Island in the northwest said the tremors were similar to those felt on December 26 after an earthquake which spawned the devastating Asian tsunami, the Bernama news agency said. The tremors were also felt in the capital Kuala Lumpur, sending residents of hotels and high rise buildings fleeing into the street. —Agencies