BANGKOK, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Thailand issued tsunami alert Wednesday following a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Indonesia's northern Sumatra.

The National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC) warned people in several southern Andaman-Sea-coastal provinces, down from Satun province, to be ready to evacuate to a safe place, saying there was a high risk of a tsunami on the Andaman Coast.

NDWC said the southern Songkhla province and the city Hat Yai felt the earthquake, and they are closely monitoring the aftermath.

The Matichon Online quoted Saran Thappasut, head of Warning and Run the Spread Division under the NDWC, as saying that results from observing floating buoys showed that the Indian Ocean is hit by tsunami, now the center is checking the floating buoys near Thailand's southern island Phuket for signs of tsunami.

A major 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia's northern Sumatra early Wednesday triggering a local tsunami watch. The U.S. Geological Survey reported the earthquake at a magnitude of 7.8.

Since the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, Thailand has installed a high-tech warning system.