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A powerful earthquake measuring 7.9 struck near Indonesia's Sumatra island on Wednesday triggering tsunami warnings across the region, officials said.

Indonesia's Global TV reported several buildings in Padang, the capital of West Sumatra had collapsed, while Metro TV reported that some buildings had caught fire.

A Reuters witness said residents of Padang fled for higher ground.

Indonesia's Meteorological agency said via an sms alert that the earthquake's epicenter was 159 km (99 miles) southwest of Bengkulu, which is in south Sumatra.

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