Tracking the earthquake

6:02am: HONG KONG (AP) - A 6.8-magnitude earthquake hits near the Indonesian island of Sumatra, Hong Kong seismologists say.

6:08am: The 6.8-magnitude tremor's epicenter was about 120 kilometers (74 miles) southwest of Padang, a city in western Sumatra, the Hong Kong Observatory said. The quake was recorded at 1035 GMT, it said.

6:19am: Sumatra was devastated by the Dec. 26 tsunami and earthquake that killed nearly 183,000 people in 11 countries and left another 129,000 missing. Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, was the hardest hit with at least 126,000 people killed and more than 500,000 left homeless, mostly in Aceh province on Sumatra.

6:31am: Tremors from the earthquake were felt in several areas surrounding the Malaysian city of Kuala Lumpur, national meteorological chief Chow Kok Kee told TV 3 news. Chow however said the earthquake was not strong enough to trigger tsunami, but authorities were on alert.

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Earthquake Severity

Richter         Earthquake
Magnitudes      Effects

Less than 3.5   Generally not felt, but recorded.

3.5-5.4         Often felt, but rarely causes damage.

Under 6.0       At most slight damage to well-designed buildings.
Can cause major damage to poorly constructed buildings
over small regions.

6.1-6.9         Can be destructive in areas up to about 100 kilometers
across where people live.

7.0-7.9         Major earthquake. Can cause serious damage over larger areas.

8 or greater    Great earthquake. Can cause serious damage in areas several
hundred kilometers across.

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I got the story before everybody else. I had it 1 minute and 26 seconds after it was released. I'm staying at the office to monitor it for work, and I'll be updating this as bullitans come through the wire.