An extremely powerful earthquake rocked parts of Asia Sunday, sparking potent aftershocks and massive waves that swamped villages and seaside resorts in five countries, killing at least 400 people in Sri Lanka and 94 in Indonesia. At least 136 others perished in India, seven in Malaysia and at least 20 in resorts popular with foreign tourists on Thailand's southern coast. Hundreds of other people were reported killed or missing elsewhere in the region, witnesses and officials said. The U.S. Geological Survey said a magnitude-8.5 quake _ one capable of massive damage _ struck off the coast of the northwestern Indonesian island of Sumatra at 8 a.m. (GMT 0100) Sunday. Soon after, massive waves _ known as tsunami _ crashed into several countries across the region, and aftershocks in the magnitude-7 range were sparked, the USGS said, raising the possibility of a large regional death toll.
