People living in the coastal areas of Perlis, Kedah and Penang were early today warned to stay away from the beaches, following the strong earthquake in south-west Sumatra last night.

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Madius Tangau said the warning was issued as a preventive measure.

More notices would be issued by the ministry through the mass media and those with queries or problems can go to the Meteorological Department website, check on Facebook or call Met Malaysia at 1-300-22-1638.

So far, there have been no reports of damage to property in Selangor and Johor, where tremors were felt following the 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck south-west Sumatra at 8.49pm yesterday, Madius said in a statement.

The epicentre of the quake was 649km southwest of Siberut, Indonesia, which is 1,163km south-west of Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan.

Residents panicked when tremors were felt at their condominium in Johor Baru last night, following the earthquake.

Johor Baru Fire and Rescue Department operations commander, Rohaizat Hamdan, said a team of five firefighters was sent to the 19-storey building in Taman Bukit Aliff, Tampoi, after a resident notified the station of tremors at 9.09pm.

Rohaizat said the fire-fighters felt the tremors after they arrived there and quickly ordered all residents to assemble in an open space outside the building.

In Selangor , the Fire and Rescue Department received three distress calls over tremors.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant director of operations Mohd Sani Harul said the first call came at 8.54pm from a resident of the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) flats in Section 7, Petaling Jaya.

Mohd Sani said the second call was received 15 minutes later from a resident of Block A, Section 26/38, Kampung Baru Hicom, Shah Alam.

"The third call was received a minute after that, from the Tiara Park Home area in Taman Bukit Ria, Kajang," he said in a statement in Shah Alam last night.

In Kota Baru , residents of apartments at the 23-storey Pelangi Mall also rushed out of their homes after experiencing tremors.

Kota Baru Fire and Rescue head of operations Senior Fire Officer II Ismail Mohd Taib said checks by his men found no one trapped in the building and all returned to their homes after the all-clear was given.

All our students in West Sumatra are safe

Meanwhile, all Malaysian students in Padang, West Sumatra , are reported to be safe and back home after the authorities withdrew a tsunami warning issued after a strong earthquake.

The Malaysian consul-general in Medan, Amizal Fadzli Rajali, when contacted, said all 70 Malaysian medical students at Universitas Andalas, Padang, were allowed to return to their homes after they had gathered and waited to be evacuated.

"The students are undergoing clinical training at a hospital in Padang and have been advised to return home but to remain alert," Amizal told Bernama .

The consulate was monitoring the situation and would contact them from time to time with the latest information, he said, adding that calm prevailed.

Thousands of panic-stricken people in the coastal areas of Padang are still reluctant to return home despite the authorities having withdrawn the tsunami warning.

According to live television news reports, the people were fearful of aftershocks.

Police were reported to have made a public announcement that the situation was safe and the tsunami warning had been withdrawn.

A villager was quoted as saying the people refused to return as they feared for their safety.

- Bernama