Scores of curious Malaysians rushed to the beach to see a possible tsunami despite a warning to stay away after a massive earthquake hit neighbouring Indonesia.

A photo in a local newspaper showed a large number of people standing along a promenade in Penang, apparently waiting to witness a tsunami.

The promenade was among the areas struck by a December 2004 tsunami when three-metre high waves pounded the wall. A total of 68 people were killed in Malaysia, most of them on the island of Penang.

'Heed our warning'

Police criticised the onlookers after the tsunami alert was issued to the coastal states of Penang, Kedah and Perak soon after the 8.4-magnitude quake struck off the west coast of Sumatra island late Wednesday.

A tsunami never materialised, but Azam Abdul Hamid, a local police chief, was quoted by the Star newspaper saying: "Heed our warning. It is for your own good.

"If a tsunami had really hit that night, those who lingered on could have been seriously injured or even lost their lives."