Two tsunami watches issued for the Indian Ocean following a powerful earthquake off the Indonesian coast have been lifted for most of the region, The Associated Press reported.
There were no signs of deadly waves or serious damage, despite the 8.6-magnitude quake and a subsequent 8.2 aftershock.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake was centered about 20 miles beneath the ocean floor and about 269 miles from Aceh's provincial capital in Indonesia. The quake was originally reported as 8.9, then lowered to 8.7 and again to 8.6.
A 9.1-magnitude quake in December of 2004 triggered a tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed 230,000 people. Experts said the quakes this time were different from the one in 2004, and therefore much less likely to produce a tsunami.
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