(Adds lifting of tsunami warning)

JAKARTA, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Indonesia's meteorology agency issued a brief tsunami warning early on Tuesday after a strong earthquake struck off western Sumatra.

The agency said via a telephone text message that the quake measured 7.0 on the Richter scale. The epicentre was 171 km (106 miles) southwest of Painan, West Sumatra, at a depth of 27 km, it said.

Suharjono, head of the agency's quake division, said many areas had felt the quake but there was no information so far on any possible damage and the tsunami alert had been lifted.

At least two strong earthquakes struck the same area on Monday, triggering panic and a similar brief tsunami warning, although there were no immediate reports of damage.

A huge earthquake measuring more than 9 struck off Sumatra on Dec. 26, 2004, causing a massive tsunami and more than 230,000 deaths in countries around the region. (Reporting by Telly Nathalia, editing by Richard Balmforth)

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