A 7.9 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of western Indonesia, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reports. The Disaster Management Center said that no Tsunami warning has been issued for Sri Lanka. However, the DMC is monitoring the situation.

There have been no immediate reports of damage by the quake.

The USGS said the earthquake struck at 19:49 local time (12:49 GMT). It said the epicentre was 808km (502 miles) southwest of the city of Padang, and 10km deep.

Indonesian officials issued a tsunami warning for the regions of West Sumatra, North Sumatra and Aceh.

Australia also issued a tsunami warning for Cocos Island and Christmas Island, in the Pacific and put a watch in place for the western Australian coast, including the city of Perth.

The earthquake was felt strongly in Padang for a few seconds, AFP reports, with people running out of their homes to higher ground.

Traffic ground to a halt and there was a sense of panic on the streets.

In 2004 an 8.9 magnitude earthquake triggered the world's deadliest ever tsunami, killing more than 200,000 people.

After that disaster, a more effective tsunami monitoring system was put in place. Warnings are now issued more frequently after earthquakes in the area.

(With inputs from BBC)