Aerial view of the Tenom Mosque in Northwest Sumatra taken 16 January 2005. With eerie precision, seismologists warned less than two weeks ago that Sumatra was at imminent risk of being hit by a quake of roughly the same magnitude that struck the Indonesian island.(AFP/File/Joel Saget)
U.S.: Indonesians Should Flee Earthquake
WASHINGTON - People within roughly 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) of the epicenter of Monday's earthquake near Indonesia should consider evacuating to higher ground in case a tsunami is headed their way, American officials said.
A woman looks back at the gathering storm clouds as she rides back to her refugee camp at Cadek village, on the outskirts of Banda Aceh, Indonesia, Monday, March 28, 2005. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that it did not know whether a tsunami was generated by the earthquake. But the earthquake "has the potential to generate a widely destructive tsunami in the ocean or seas," NOAA said.
If a tsunami has not been sighted within three hours, local authorities can assume the danger has passed, officials said.
The State Department said that it had alerted all of its posts in the region.
"Where we are right now is having alerted all our posts, been in contact with all our posts, putting ourselves in battle mode to be in a position where we can know what's going on and act appropriately if and when it's necessary," State Department spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters.
He said embassy officials in the area have been asking host governments to inquire about any casualties to permit an early U.S. response if the situation calls for it.
Ereli also said there had been no reports of casualties as of Monday afternoon, Washington time.
Pat McCrummen, a spokesman for the American Red Cross in Washington, said the agency confirmed that its workers involved in the relief effort in Indonesia were okay following the latest earthquake. He said Red Cross officials are awaiting further developments before initiating any new relief effort.
"We still have people over there assisting from the first one, and they will be our first line of defense, once we know what kind of damage there is," he said.
Lt. Col. Jay Steuck, spokesman for the Honolulu-based U.S. Pacific Command, said officials are trying to determine if any U.S. military ships or personnel are threatened by the earthquake or a possible tsunami.
"We're gathering more information and determining where are forces are," he said. "We're identifying where our ships are, and if assistance is needed. (If) we receive requests from governments in the region, we'll respond appropriately."
He would not comment if any ships or submarines were in the region or heading there before the earthquake.
Tsunami alerts cause panic across Asia after huge quake off Indonesia
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AFP) - An earthquake off Indonesia measuring over 8.0 on the Richter Scale triggered tsunami alerts around the Indian Ocean, causing panic three months after giant waves killed hundreds of thousands in the region.
A massive 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra March 28, 2005 close to where a quake triggered a tsunami that left nearly 300,000 people dead or missing across Asia, residents and officials said. The latest quake had the potential to cause a 'widely destructive tsunami' and authorities should take 'immediate action,' including evacuating coastlines within 600 miles of the epicenter, the Pacific tsunami warning center said. (Reuters Graphic)
There were no immediate reports of casualties from the sub-sea quake which was felt in neighbouring countries and prompted India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Thailand to join Indonesia in issuing alerts.
"An earthquake above 7.0 on the Richter scale can definitely create a tsunami, therefore we have raised a tsunami warning as there is a lot of islands in the area," said Ramlan, an Indonesian meteorological official.
He said the quake was measured at magnitude 8.0, some 90 kilometres (56 miles) southeast of the island of Sinabang, which lies off the southern coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island. Other measurements put the quake at 8.2
Sumatra bore the brunt of the December 26 magnitude-9.0 earthquake that triggered a tsunami which killed more than 273,000 people on shorelines around the Indian Ocean.
Thousands of people fled their homes in panic in Banda Aceh, the city at the northwestern tip of Sumatra after the three-minute quake struck at around 11:15 pm (1615 GMT), according to an AFP reporter in the city.
Many headed for higher ground, while police called for calm and mosques broadcast messages saying: "Don't panic, there is no tsunami".
It was felt in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, where guests and residents evacuated high-rise hotels and apartments, an AFP correspondent said.
Tremors were also felt in Padang, the capital of neighbouring Sumatra province, where it downed powerlines, according to local Metro TV. No telephone contact was immediately possible with Padang or another major city, Medan.
Officials in India, Sri Lanka and Thailand took no chances, issuing warnings and urging citizens living along shorelines to evacuate their homes.
"We have just received an alert ... and have asked the fishermen down the coast to move towards the interior," said C.V. Shanker, a tsunami relief officer in India's southeastern Tamil Nadu state.
Thai meteorological department deputy director Lalith Chandrapala told AFP there was no report of any tsunami. "But, we are asking people living along the coast to leave as a precaution."
"The earthquake is strong enough to issue the warning for people to evacuate as a prevention, particularly in the area affected by the tsunami last time," Thailand's deputy chief meteorologist Chalermchai Akekantrong told local TV.
People at the famous Patong beach on the tourist island of Phuket were already headed toward higher ground, TV reports said.
Similar scenes were reported in coastal cities and towns across Sumatra.
"I'm trying to find my family, there are all women, they were very scared and ran out of the house," said one man in Peurada village, in Sumatra's western Aceh province, who was searching for his relatives on a motorcycle.
"I have put everything I own on the roof," he added.