JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- A strong earthquake measuring 7.9 in magnitude struck Wednesday near southern Indonesia, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
A tsunami watch was immediately issued for the area.
The earthquake struck at 1810 local time (1110 GMT) Bengkulu province.
Several skyscrapers in Jakarta were rocked by the quake, which came at the end of the work day, said Andy Saputra, CNN producer in Jakarta.
"It's pretty strong and people are being evacuated from the tall buildings," he said.
The Financial Times' John Aglionby, speaking from Jakarta, told CNN: "The windows started shaking, the chairs started shaking - everything was shaking. We were up on the 16th floor of the building and decided we had to get out.
"It was a very bizarre experience. Some people were getting scared."
Jakarta is 605 km (375 miles) southeast of the epicenter. The epicenter believed to be Bengkulu Province in southern Sumatra.
Although some employees were too afraid to leave their offices, companies ordered immediate emergency evacuations, he said.
Workers exited structures via fire stairs and went into the street, away from buildings and other potential dangers, Saputra added.
(Same source)
