Several people have reportedly died in the wake of a 7.9 magnitude earthquake off the west coast of Sumatra in Indonesia.

Tsunami warnings were issued in Indonesia and parts of Australia, spreading panic in some provinces of Sumatra, areas which were the worst affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean quake.

Residents in Padang, the capital of Indonesia's West Sumatra province, fled their homes for higher ground, and local news reported heavy traffic jams and a sense of panic on the streets

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The epicentre of the 7.9 magnitude earthquake was 502 miles southwest of Padang, and six miles deep

'There are some who have died,' said Heronimus Guru, the deputy head of operations with the National Search and Rescue Agency, adding that the final toll is still not confirmed.

Tsunami warnings were issued for West Sumatra, North Sumatra and Aceh after the quake of magnitude 7.9, Indonesian officials said.

The same areas were some of the worst affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean quake and subsequent tsunami on Boxing Day.

Neighbouring Australia issued a tsunami watch for parts of its western coast, which was later cancelled.

The epicentre was 502 miles southwest of Padang, and six miles deep, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The epicentre of the earthquake was 502 miles southwest of Padang, the capital of Indonesia's West Sumatra province, and six miles deep

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties but the shallower a quake, the more likely it is to cause damage. USGS originally put the magnitude at 8.2, and then 8.1, before lowering it to 7.9.

'So far there have been no reports (of damage) yet,' Andi Eka Sakya, an official of the National Meteorological Agency, told TVOne. 'In Bengkulu (on southwest coast of Sumatra) they didn't feel it at all.'

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology issued a marine warning for the distant Cocos and Christmas islands.

It did not advise evacuations, but said strong and dangerous currents were possible and people should secure boats and avoid waterfront areas.

The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Center later issued but then canceled a tsunami watch for Western Australia.

Indonesia was badly hit by the Indian Ocean tsunami in on Christmas Day 2004, with 126,741 people killed in the disaster in Aceh alone.

A 9.15-magnitude quake opened a fault line deep beneath the ocean on December 26, 2004.

It triggering a wave as high as 57 feet that crashed ashore in more than a dozen countries to wipe some communities off the map in seconds.