Tsunami alert

A tsunami alert was issued for the entire Indian Ocean this morning after a powerful 8.6-magnitude earthquake was recorded off Indonesia's coast.

The U.S. Geological Survey said, in its latest revised statement, that the quake was centered about 14 miles beneath the ocean floor and 270 miles from Banda Aceh, the provincial capital of Aceh, at 2:38 p.m. local time (4:38 am. ET).

The quake struck in a similar location and of a similar magnitude to the 9.1-magnitude tremor on Dec. 26, 2004 that triggered a tsunami in the Indian Ocean, killing almost 230,000 people, nearly three-quarters of them in Aceh province.

A strong 8.2 magnitude aftershock struck at 6:43 a.m. ET, the USGS said; Indonesia issued a fresh tsunami alert as a result.