The powerful 7.3 quake that shook Western Indonesia early Wednesday did not result in a dangerous tsunami.

There was no reports of casualties either, according to media reports. Still, the powerful Indonesia earthquake 2012 that struck off the west coast of Northern Sumatra shook residents and sent many panicking into streets. A tsunami warning was issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center but it was cancelled two hours later.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake registered 7.3 magnitude, striking off the coast of the Aceh province just after midnight early Wednesday. The earthquake's center was 18 miles beneath the ocean floor, the USGS said.

The people of the region are still traumatized form the 2004 quake and subsequent tsunami that was so devastating. Some waiting for two hours before the tsunami warning was lifted on higher ground after fleeing low-lying areas when the warnings shook them from sleep. More than 230,000 people died in the Dec. 26, 2004 quake, and half of those that perished lived in Aceh.

I'm afraid, said Fera, a resident, who rode to higher ground on a motorbike with her two children and her mom, according to The Associated Press.

Indonesia is in the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region prone to volcanoes and earthquakes. On New Year's Day 2012, a strong earthquake shook Japan, also in the Ring of Fire region. The earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 shook Japan off the country's coast on Jan. 1, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The USGS said that earthquake struck 495 kilometers (307 miles) south-southwest of Tokyo at a depth of 348.5 kilometers (216.6 miles). Because the jolt was so deep, it was less likely to cause damage at the surface than quake last March 11, which caused a tsunami and, ultimately, a nuclear crisis in the country.

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