An earthquake measuring 8.6 on the Richter scale jolted the west coast of Indonesia at 4:38 p.m. Wednesday (Beijing Time), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).

Acehnese people try to go to higher ground after a powerfull earthquake hit the western coast of Sumatera in Banda Aceh on April 11, 2012. A massive earthquake struck off Indonesia's Sumatra island, US and Indonesian monitors reported, prompting an Indian Ocean-wide tsunami alert. [Xinhua photo]

The epicenter, with a depth of 20 km, was monitored at about 2.3 degrees north latitude and 93.1 degrees east longitude, the center said in a statement.

The quake was followed by another one measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale two hours later. The second quake jolted off the coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia.

China's National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center said in a statement Wednesday evening that a tsunami wave, monitored in the Indian Ocean, is likely to hit the Indian and Sri Lankan coasts within two hours and the Arabian Peninsula, East Africa and Australia in five to six hours.

The wave has been measured at the height of about 31 cm by monitoring stations off Indonesia, the statement said.

The wave will probably not affect the Chinese coast and the center will keep a close eye on the development of tsunami, it said.

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