COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The most powerful earthquake in 40 years hit early Sunday near the Indonesian island of Sumatra, sending 20-foot waves crashing onto the densely populated shores of several Asian nations. The death toll is just under 20,000 people.
The 9.0-magnitude earthquake was centered 155 miles south-southeast of Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province on Sumatra, and 6 miles under the seabed of the Indian Ocean. Geophysicist Julie Martinez of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said it was the fifth-largest quake since 1900 and the largest since a 9.2 earthquake hit Alaska's Prince William Sound in 1964.
The initial shock waves destroyed bridges, toppled power poles and severed the trans-Sumatran highway in many places. The domes of several mosques and sections of the largest hotel in Banda Aceh collapsed. Moments later, the first waves hit Aceh and other parts of Indonesia.
