¡¡JAKARTA, Dec. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- At least 1,873 people have beenkilled by a powerful tsunami triggered by a massive earthquake that hit parts of Indonesia on Sunday, the Health Ministry said.

    In a statement, the ministry said the worst affected area was in and around Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province on the northern tip of Sumatra island, where 1,400 people had been killed.

    An 8.7-magnitude earthquake hit many parts of the provinces of North Sumatra and Aceh earlier Sunday. Its epicenter was located in Molabo, Aceh, the country's westernmost province.

    Residents reported the quake toppled homes inland in Aceh,knocked down power lines and damaged bridges.

    The airport in the local capital, Banda Aceh, had been closed because of damage, the official Antara news agency reported.

    Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who had been visiting the victims of a recent earthquake in Nabire district, inPapua province, immediately ordered the authorities to handle the natural disaster and asked government officials to visit the affected areas.

    Vice President Jusuf Kalla also asked government ministers to visit Aceh province.

    Sunday's quake was the third major one to hit Indonesia after the one in Nabire in Papua on Nov. 26 which killed 17 people and in Alor in East Nusa Tenggara on Nov. 12 which killed at least 27 people. Enditem