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TV grab from Metro TV shows Acehnese people using their vehicles to get to higher places in Banda Aceh following a strong earthquake that hit Sumatra island. A huge earthquake off the coast of Indonesia triggered tsunami alerts across Asia, causing widespread panic in countries where over 270,000 people were killed by giant waves just three months ago.(AFP/Metro TV)

Acehnese cram onto a scooter and cart as they drive to higher ground following an earthquake, Tuesday, March 29, 2005, in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. A major earthquake struck off the west coast of Indonesia's Sumatra Island late Monday, and officials warned that a tsunami could strike the area. Residents of Banda Aceh fled their homes in panic. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)

Residents are seen to flock into the streets in this image from television in the town of Hadyai, Thailand after an earthquake was felt throughout the region late Monday March 28 2005. The magnitude 8.7 quake centred on the Indonesian island of Sumatra at 11.09 pm local time raised terror and tsunami warnings throughout a region still devastated by the Dec 26 tsunami of similar size which claimed more than 174,000 lives. (AP Photo/ Chanel 7)

Acehnese walk down a street in Banda Aceh after evacuating their homes when a massive earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia March 29, 2005. A massive 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra on Monday close to where a quake triggered a tsunami that left nearly 300,000 people dead or missing across Asia, residents and officials said. REUTERS/Tarmizy Harva

Acehnese sit at Baiturrahman Great Mosque in Banda Aceh after evacuating their homes when a massive earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia March 29, 2005. A massive 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra on Monday close to where a quake triggered a tsunami that left nearly 300,000 people dead or missing across Asia, residents and officials said. REUTERS/Tarmizy Harva

An employee at the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics' office in Jakarta points to a computer monitor showing a graph of the 8.7 magnitude earthquake off the main island of Sumatra March 29, 2005. A massive earthquake killed dozens of people and destroyed hundreds of homes in the main town of Indonesia's Nias island on Monday evening, a local government official an Indonesian television station. REUTERS/Dadang Tri

There is no sign of any tsunami after a major earthquake measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale hit off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island on Monday night.

Since there has been no sign of a tsunami even after over three hours of the quake, there is unlikely to be one, the Meteorological and Geophysics agency in Indonesia said.

UN officials said though there was no report of any tsunami towards the east of the epicentre of the quake in the direction of Sumatra, it is yet to be assessed if there are waves progressing towards the west in the direction of Sri Lanka.

Source: Rediff

Expert warns of third massive quake

Mar 28 2005

An expert warned the quake off Sumatra made another massive earthquake in the region more likely.

Professor John McCloskey predicted in the wake of the Boxing Day earthquake and tsunami that there was a likelihood of two more quakes in the region.

The University of Ulster based Geophysics expert, who studies earthquake dynamics said: "The location of the latest quake is exactly were we warned it would be.

"We said there were two locations off Sumatra where the stresses had been increased by the Boxing Day earthquake and were likely to indicate another earthquake.

"From the information we have received it looks as if this is one of them this will be confirmed in the next few hours. We were concerned about two events and it looks like this is one of them."

Ominously he warned that the latest quake is likely to have added to the stresses on the earth's crust at the second site he was worried about and make a third massive quake a reality.

"It seems to me that this earthquake will also increase the stresses on the other site and make another quake more likely."

The fault line for the other site "runs right through the city of Banda Aceh" on the northern tip of Sumatra, he said.

The study of data over night would detail whether he was right. "We will be doing comparisons of stress levels over the next 12 hours," he said.

However he said the region might have avoided another devastating tsunami this time. "If it was going to happen it would have happened by now and there has been no such news. We may have been lucky this time. The site of the latest quake would send a tsunami south into the Indian Ocean not towards India a Sri Lanka."

Huddersfield Daily Examiner