PETALING JAYA: A powerful earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale hit southern Sumatra at about 6.17pm, causing tremors all the way in peninsula Malaysia.
The epicentre of the quake was about 481km southwest from Kuala Lumpur.
People have evacuated some high-rise buildings in the Klang Valley, including the KL City Centre.
In the JayaOne complex here, reports came in of shaking furniture and swaying fixtures.
No tsunami alert has been issued thus far.
(CNN) — A huge emergency effort is under way in the Samoan Islands after towering tsunami waves triggered by an 8.0 earthquake left dozens dead and entire villages flattened or submerged.
At least 84 people are so far confirmed dead in American Samoa and neighboring Samoa but officials fear the toll will rise as rescue workers work to reach outlying villages. Seven people were also confirmed killed in Tonga.
The quake hit the small cluster of Samoan islands in the South Pacific early Tuesday.
In Samoa, the death toll currently stands at 55, according to government minister Maulolo Tavita, but he said he feared the number of casualities would continue to rise.
In American Samoa, 22 people were confirmed dead by late Tuesday. But Salamo Laumoli, director of health services at the LBJ Tropical Medical Center in the capital, Pago Pago, said he feared more fatalities would turn up as rescue workers were still trying to access parts of the island severed by damaged infrastructure.