An 8.7-magnitude earthquake off the western coast of Indonesia late yesterday killed a predicted 2,000 people and left many in the area wondering if a tsunami similar to the one that struck the area in December was headed their way.

Yesterday's quake struck just 110 miles southwest of the Dec. 26 9.0-magnitude earthquake. The tsunami that followed the December quake killed about 175,000 people in 12 Indian Ocean nations and left 106,000 missing.

Another major tsunami was unlikely by about 7 p.m. last night, U.N. spokesman Brian Grogan told the Associated Press.

"A tsunami would have developed within three hours of the earthquake," Grogan said. "It has been much longer than three hours, and we are seeing no signs of a tsunami."

Penn State geosciences associate professor Charles Ammon said the two quakes are related.

"This earthquake is on the southern end of the fault line that caused the December earthquake," Ammon said.

Holly Hawkins, emergency services director of the Centre Communities chapter of the American Red Cross, said the Red Cross will meet whatever need arises from the earthquake.

"The American community and the international community will respond to this disaster, and we will be there to help," Hawkins said.

Grogan said the United Nations would be able to respond quickly to the disaster, beginning this morning.

"We already have 1,000 people on the ground from the last tsunami, plus dozens of trucks to help bring aid," he said.

"As soon as the sun comes up, two assessment teams will be flying over the Sumatra region to survey the damage and determine our humanitarian response," he said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said yesterday's epicenter was 155 miles south-southeast of Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province on Sumatra island.

The only tsunami reported was 10 inches at the Cocos Islands, 1,400 miles west of Australia. No damage was reported.

Two aftershocks, one measuring 6.0 and another measuring 6.7, were reported in the same region late yesterday and early Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Hawkins said she does not think this earthquake will cause devastation as extreme as the previous one.

"Fortunately, the magnitude of the earthquake does not seem as bad," she said. "But we'll have to wait and see."

Hawkins said the Centre Communities Red Cross is primarily responsible for accepting donations for tsunami victims getting the money to them. The organization collected $133,554 after the December tsunami.

--The Associated Press contributed to this report.