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There were fears a tsunami would hit Indonesia and Australia after a deadly earthquake measuring 7.9 struck off the coast of Sumatra.

Millions of people feared a tsunami could hit land after the enormous quake that struck at about 8pm local time.

There have been deaths because of the quake, but the death toll is currently unclear.

The scale of the earthquake was so big that neighbouring Australia was issued a tsunami watch warning for parts of its western coast.

Indonesia and Australia have now stood down the warnings.

Deputy head of operations with the National Search and Rescue Agency, Heronimus Guru, said: "There are some who have died."

He did not know how many died, but said any rescue operation will be hampered by the dark.

The powerful and shallow earthquake struck off the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the US Geological Survey said.

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The epicentre was 502 miles southwest of Padang, USGS said.

The earthquake was six miles deep. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The US Geological Survey initially said the quake struck at a 8.1 magnitude, but it has been downgraded to 7.9.

Indonesian residents in Pagdang rushed to higher ground when the tsunami warning was issued.

(Image: Getty Images) (Image: EPA)

Residents told of the panic that broke out when they were in mosque and felt the vibrations of the quake.

Rahma Wendra told local media: "Around 20:00pm, we felt a vibration. We were reading Koran in mosques, [there was] panic straight on out."

Padang is a Tsunami hotspot and scientists have previously warned ‘this is how it will be destroyed’.

(Image: Getty Images) (Image: Getty)

Kerry Sieh, 55, a professor of geology at the California Institute of Technology, has studied the fault line off the shore of western Sumatra for 16 years.

He warned that the one outcome that can be reliably forecast is higher death tolls, according to the New York Times.

(Image: Reuters) (Image: Getty Images) (Image: Youtube / Sekar Wangi)

The professor also warned that Padang is not prepared to deal with a Tsunami.

Sumatra is a region that was devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean quake and tsunami.

On Boxing Day in 2004 a giant 9.1-magnitude quake in the same area triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people.

(Image: Reuters)

Indonesia straddles the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire", a highly seismically active zone, where different plates on the earth's crust meet and create a large number of earthquakes and volcanoes.