The earthquake hit at around 8:10 am (0110 GMT) and was felt in various cities and towns in Aceh and North Sumatra, the two northernmost provinces in Aceh, residents said.

The Meteorology and Geophysics Office here could not immediately provide the magnitude of the earthquake with an official saying the data were still being gathered and analyzed.

A reporter of the private ElShinta radio said that the earthquake caused substantial damage in Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province, including the partial collapse of the centrally located Kuala Tripa hotel and several shops as well as cracks on the road.

A witness also told the radio from Sigli, in Aceh's Pidie district, caused the dome of the main mosque there to collapse. But the witness said there were no reports of any casualty.

The temblor was also felt in the North Sumatra province capital of Medan, sparking panic among the population.

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