The city of Padang in western Sumatera was once again hit by a major earthquake tonight, this time of magnitude 7.2, which caused its residents to flee their homes in panic.

Indonesia's meteorology department had initially issued a tsunami warning after the quake hit at 10.42pm with epicentre 235km southeast of Siberut but withdraw it at 10.50pm.

Padang Malaysian Students Association president Mohd Ekhwan Darus, when contacted, said all the 120 Malaysian students in Padang were safe and accounted for.

Tremors lasting more than a minute caused residents to flee their homes in search of safety, he said.

At the press time (11pm), all the Malaysian students were reported to have returned to their respective homes.

World's most active volcano

Meanwhile, in central Java, all 34 Malaysian students at a religious institute at Secang in Magelang are being moved to Solo today away from the debris of a volcano which is expected to erupt any time.

Experts forecast that the eruption this time would be much bigger than the last one which occured in 2006.

The students are being evacuated after the Indonesian authorities issued an "alert level" warning, requiring all to vacate the vicinity of Gunung Merapi, the world's most active volcano.

Malaysian Students Department director in Indonesia, Junaidy Abu Bakar, said the students, together with medical undergraduates from the Surakarta State University, will volunteer for relief work.

Junaidy said the Malaysians at the Sirajul Mukhlasin Religious Institute are private students. They are safe because the volcano is some distance from the institute.

Evacuated as added precaution

Even so, the students will be evacuated as an added precaution, and will stay in an area with a direct telephone dailing system, Junaidy said.

He added that Malaysian students in Yogyakarta are also being put on alert, and they too will volunteer to help victims.

The volcano is within the boundaries of the Yogyakarta special district in central Java.

The alert level warning was issued by the Centre for Education on and Development of Volcano Technology of Yogyakarta at 6am local time today, after the increase in frequency of multiphase quakes.

About 40,000 people live in the districts around the volcano.

In the Sleman district, residents have been moved since 7am.

The evacuation in Magelang meanwhile is ristricted to areas in the path of the debris spray.

Unlike the case of most other volcanos, where the lava is "shot up," experts said, magma from Gunung Merapi flow to the foot of the mountain.

- Bernama