Four Ohio State employees were in Indonesia Wednesday morning when a strong earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra, but it appears none were harmed, university officials said.

Three OSU faculty members and one staff member were in Jakarta, the country’s capital, when the quake struck about 880 miles northwest of the city.

The epicenter of the 7.7 quake struck at 5:15 a.m. local time, according to The U.S. Geological Survey. Most effects were felt in the island of Sumatra’s coastal cities and included injuries, minor damages, blackouts and tsunami warnings.

“We have indeed reached out to the three faculty members and one staff member who are in Indonesia to check on their well-being and to see if they need assistance,” said Maureen Miller, director of communications for the OSU Office of International Affairs.

However, because the faculty members are not traveling through the Office of International Affairs, Miller said the office does not have all their personal contact information.

The faculty members, Sue Dechow, Lucila Rudge and Adrian Rodgers, all from the College of Education and Human Ecology, are training Indonesian teachers, Miller said.

Their trip began March 24 and they are expected to return to OSU Saturday, Miller said.

Rebecca Kantor, director of the School of Teaching and Learning, said she contacted Dechow’s husband to see if he had heard from her. Kantor said Dechow’s husband, who had heard from his wife every day prior to the earthquake, has not been able to get in touch with her since the quake.

“We believe it is probably a problem with the infrastructure,” Kantor said.

Rudge and Rodgers, who are traveling with Dechow, have not been reached either.

The staff member in Indonesia, Maria Bibler, is an admissions counselor and staff assistant in Undergraduate Admissions and First Year Experience. She is working to recruit international students, Miller said.

Program coordinator Marco Chavez received an e-mail from Bibler assuring him that she is OK, said Mabel Freeman, assistant vice president for Undergraduate Admissions and First Year Experience.

The e-mail was brief, so we don’t believe Bibler experienced any adverse effects, Freeman said.