Another tsunami alert in Indonesia

JAKARTA: Another quake with a magnitude of 6.9 jolted Indonesia's Sumatra on Friday, prompting authorities to issue a tsunami alert for the island's west coast, the meteorological agency said.

The quake - the latest aftershock following Wednesday's massive tremor - struck at 1131 IST, 161 km southwest of the city of Bengkulu at a depth of 10 km, the agency said in a phone text message.

"There is the potential for a tsunami," it warned.

Bengkulu was one of the areas worst hit by a powerful 8.4-magnitude quake that rocked Sumatra's west coast on Wednesday at dusk.

At least 13 people were killed and thousands of buildings damaged by the quake and a series of aftershocks that followed. Several tsunami alerts have been issued and then called off.

The latest shock was felt strongly in the city of Lais, 153 km from the epicentre.