Huge Earthquake hits Indonesia; tsunami feared

[General Duke]

Quake hits; tsunami feared

From correspondents in Jakarta

March 29, 2005

From: Agence France-Presse

 

Shaken ... Residents flee after tremors strike / AP Advertisement:

TENS of thousands of people fled their homes as a massive earthquake hit off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra this morning.

 

The massive earthquake killed dozens of people and destroyed hundreds of homes in the main town on Indonesia's Nias island overnight, a local government official told Metro TV.

"I can guarantee that dozens have died," Agus Mendrofa, the deputy mayor of Gunungsitoli town, said.

 

Warnings of a possible tsunami have been issued in Madagascar and the island of Mauritius after an earthquake measuring over 8.0 on the Richter scale struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra, officials said.

 

The earthquake caused a small tsunami on the Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean, the US National Weather Service's Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said.

 

The Cocos lie to the south of the epicentre of the quake, which the Hawaii bsed Tsunami Centre has put at Magnitude 8.5.

 

"There has been no major tsunami observed near the epicentre," the Tsunami Centre said.

 

"There was, however, a small tsunami observed on the Cocos tide gauge."

 

A Tsunami Centre official, Robert Cessaro, of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre told CNN the quake was likely to have directed any tsunami waves to the south in the direction of Mauritius.

 

He said the massive quake that struck the region on December 26 was now known to have directed most of its energy toward the north and that had relieved the underground stresses in that direction.

 

The latest quake was believed to have sent its main energy in the opposite direction, toward the Indian Ocean islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues, he said.

 

"I think it's very likely that it produced a tsunami but we don't have any information about it because we don't have any water level gauges in that area. But something this size is likely to have produced a tsunami," Cessaro said.

 

"But because we think the event probably ruptured to the south, the beam of energy, rather than propagating towards the central Indian Ocean, may very well have propagated towards the south, towards Mauritius and Rodrigues," he said.

 

The tremblor - measuring up to 8.5 on the Richter scale - sparked panic in Malaysia and Singapore, as well as Sumatra, when it struck around 11.15pm (2.15am today AEST).

 

The United States' Geological Survey (USGS) told CNN television there was a risk of a tsunami and that warnings had been sent to the region.

 

It said the quake's epicentre was 201km west-north-west of Sibolga, Sumatra, or 1416km north-west of the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, close to where a 9.0 quake struck on December 26 sparking a massive tsunami that left nearly 300,000 people dead of missing.

 

The US National Weather Service's Pacific Tsunami Warning centre, based in Hawaii, said today's tremblor had the potential to cause a "widely destructive tsunami" and authorities should take "immediate action," including evacuating coastlines within 1000km of the epicentre.

 

Malaysia urged residents along parts of its west coast to evacuate to higher areas.

 

Thailand, India and Sri Lanka also immediately issued tsunami warnings in coastal areas. Sirens were ringing in the eastern Sri Lankan town of Trincomalee, residents said.

 

Tens of thousands of people ran out of their homes in many parts of Sumatra, and in Singapore and Malaysia. But there were no immediate reports of casualties.

 

"It was very strong," said a telephone operator in the Sumatran city of Medan, in western Indonesia.

 

"We all ran out of the building."

 

An non-government organisation (NGO) official in Banda Aceh, the town worst hit by the December 26 tsunami, sent out a telephone message saying thousands of people fled their homes and headed for higher ground after feeling what he described as "a very damn big earthquake".

 

Panic spread in many areas along the west coast of Malaysia, the Bernama news agency said.

 

"It felt stronger than on December 26," said Arumugam Gopal, a resident of the town of Penang.

 

USGS spokesman Don Blakeman said today's quake was considered a "great earthquake" because it was larger than a magnitude 8.

 

He said it was an aftershock from December's temblor but was a "very serious earthquake in its own right".

 

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said the quake had the "potential to generate a widely destructive tsunami in the ocean or seas near the earthquake".

 

However, "Authorities can assume the danger has passed if no tsunami waves are observed in the region near the epicentre within three hours of the earthquake," it added.

 

- with Reuters

[General Duke]

Bad-gariir Weyn oo ka dhacay Badweynta Hindiya, shacabka ku dhaqan Xeebaha dalalka Aasiya oo guryahooda ka cararay

 

New Dehli :- Bad-gariir aad u weyn ayaa ka dhacay Jasiirada dalka Indoneeshiya ee Sumarta ee ku taal xeebta badweynta Hindiya, waxaa sidoo kale la sheegay Hirar yar yar oo laga dareemay Badweynta Hindiya, shacabka ku dhaqan xeebaha dalalka Aasiya oo guryahooda ka baxaya.

 

Bad-gariirka oo dhacay wakhti yar kahor ayaa lagu qiyaasay awoodiisa 8.7 ayadoo kii hore ee dhamaadkii sanadkii lasoo dhaafay uu ahaa 9.2

 

Bad- gariirkan ayaa ka dhacay Badweynta Hindiya ee jasiiradaha Galbeed ee dalka Indoneeshiya taasoo dib u dhalisay baqdinta laga qabo Tsunami ama Hirar ka dhasha badaweynta Hindiya, waxayna bilaabeen qaar kamid ah dalalka Aasiya sida Taylaan iyo Srilaanka in ay shacabka ka saaraan magaalooyinka ku yaal xeebaha dalkaasi.

 

Illaa iyo hada lama sheegin wax Hirar ah oo ku habsaday Jasiiradaha yar yar ee ku dhow goobta uu Badgariirka ka dhacay, balse dowladaha Qaarkood ayaa sheegay inay isha ku hayaan badweynta Hindiya.

 

Bad-gariirkan ayaa dhacay 3 bilood kadib musiibadii Tsunami ee ka dhalatay Badgariir noocaan ah oo ka dhacay isla badweynta hindiya.

 

26kii bishii December ee sanadkii 2004 ayey hayad markii ay hirar ka dhashay Badgariir ka dhacay badweynta Hindiya ay burbur baaxadleh u geysteen dalalbadan ee Aasiya iyo waliba Afrika iyo Soomaaliya oo ay hirarkan soo gaareen.

 

Wararka ugu danbeeyey ee soo baxaya ayaa sheegay in guryo ku yaal Jasiirada Sumarta ee dalka Indoneeshiya ay burbureen ayadoona ay jiraan khasaaro halkaasi ka dhashay, welina macada tirada dadka wax ku noqday burburkaasi.

 

Warar aan la xaqiijin ayaa sheegaya in ay hirar ama gariir uu dad ku dilay Jasiirada Nias (dalka Indoneeshiya) ee Badweynta Hindiya, balse wararkan ayaa la sugayaa in la xaqiijiyo.

 

Bad-gariirkan ayaa dhacay caawa wakhti ay saq dhexe u tahay dalalka Aasiya (11.45pm) ayadoo ay hada adag tahay in ay dadku arkaan in ay jiraan Wax Hirar ah oo kusoo aadan xeebaha, waxayna dadka intood badan isaga carareen goobaha u dhow xeebaha.

 

Dhamaan Sateliteyada Maraykanka ayaa la sheegay in ay baarayaan in ay jiraan wax hirar ah oo lagu arko badweynta Hindiya, si markaa digniin loo siiyo dalalka xeebaha ku leh badweynta Hindiya.

 

Khaliif M. Xaashi

HorseedNet.com

New Dehli, India

[General Duke]

Wasaarada Warfaafinta DG Puntland oo ugu baaqay dadka ku nool Xeebaha Somaliya in ay ka feejignaadaan Dhulgariirka Tsunami-ga oo la iclaamiyey in uu ku dhufatay meelo ka mid ah Wadamada kulaala Badweynta Hindiya - Radio Daljir-

 

 

Puntland warning

[General Duke]

Major quake off Indonesian coast

 

Agencies

Monday March 28, 2005

 

A large earthquake struck off Indonesia's Sumatra Island in the Andaman Sea today, triggering tsunami warnings in Thailand, India and Sri Lanka.

The earthquake struck at 11.09 pm local time (0409 GMT) at a depth of nearly 19 miles and measured 8.2 on the Richter scale, the US Geological Survey 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 (1,000 km) of the epicentre, the Pacific tsunami warning centre said.

 

An official said that dozens of people could be buried under the remains of hundreds of collapsed buildings on the Indonesian island of Nias, close to the epicenter of the earthquake.

"Hundreds of buildings have been damaged or have collapsed. People who were standing fell over. We're not sure about casualties, but there may be dozens of people buried in the rubble," said Agus Mendrofa, deputy district head on Nias island which was nearest to the epicenter of the quake.

 

Nias, a renowned surfing spot, was badly hit by the December 26 tsunami disaster. At least 340 residents of Nias died and 10,000 were left homeless.

 

In Banda Aceh, the Sumatran city that was hit hardest by December's disaster that left nearly 300,000 people dead or missing across Asia, the quake cut electricity and thousands of people poured into the streets.

 

The quake lasted for about two minutes - far longer than most of the daily aftershocks that have rocked the northern Sumatra island since December 26.

 

"People are still traumatised, still scared, they are running for higher ground," said Feri, a 24-year-old recovery volunteer who goes by one name.

 

Indonesia's state news agency, Antara, said there were no immediate reports of damages.

 

An Associated Press reporter in Banda Aceh said that people who had fled - including many survivors living in refugee camps since the December disaster - started moving back into their homes after the quake ended.

 

The quake was felt as far away as Malaysia, about 300 miles from the epicenter, sending residents fleeing their apartments and hotels in Kuala Lumpur and Penang after authorities activated fire alarms.

 

Thailand urged people living along parts of its west coast, including tourists on the resort island of Phuket, to evacuate while Malaysia issued a warning to coastal residents.

 

"About 3,000 to 4,000 tourists and locals have been evacuated from Patong and Kamala beaches to higher places," Phuket deputy governor Wichai Buapradit told Reuters.

 

"We've told them to take their valuable belongings and to go to higher places," he added.

 

Authorities in India's Andaman and Nicobar islands, north of the epicentre, issued a preliminary tsunami warning as did the federal government in New Delhi. Sirens were ringing in the eastern Sri Lankan town of Trincomalee and many coastal areas were evacuated, residents said.

[Saxardiid]

Allow sharkeeda nadhaafi iyo intii muslim ah.