The Jakarta Globe:

Indonesia issued a tsunami warning Wednesday after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 8.5 hit waters off westernmost Aceh province.

Said, an official at Indonesia’s Meteorology and Geophysics Agency who goes by only one name, said a tsunami warning has been issued for Aceh, West Sumatra, North Sumatra, Lampung and Bengkulu. The tsunami was expected to reach Aceh at 4:31 p.m.

According to Metro TV, traffic was chaotic Wednesday afternoon in Banda Aceh as people flee coastal areas for higher ground in the east. Power and internet is reportedly down in the provincial capita.

In Padang, hospitals are reportedly evacuating patients from the building. Read more