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Photos: 8.7 quake hits Indonesia, tsunami alert in India
Photos: 8.7 quake hits Indonesia, tsunami alert in India
6:10 pm: Parts of the Indonesia's Sumatra island remain in danger from a tsunami following a series of powerful earthquakes off the Indonesian coast on Wednesday, but damage across the Indian Ocean basin is not expected, an official with the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
6:05 pm: Indonesia's disaster agency says 1 metre tsunamis detected in Nias island off southern Sumatra and Meulaboh in Aceh: Rueters
5:55 pm: Tanzania and Kenya have now issued tsunami alerts along their coastlines, ABC reports.
5:49 pm: All Indians staying in Thailand's Phuket island have been alerted by the Indian High Commission here following the massive earthquake of 8.7 magnitude that hit waters off Indonesia triggering tsunami fears across the Indian Ocean nations, PTI reports.
5:45 pm: Andaman Islands brace for 4-metre tsunami waves
A few thousand people were evacuated to higher ground from parts of Andaman and Nicobar islands on Wednesday following earthquakes in Indonesia, as the islands prepared for tsunami waves up to 3.9 metres high, officials said.
5:40 pm: Tidal waves off Andaman and Nicobar being monitored, Times Now reports.
5:35 pm: People from costal areas in Indonesia have been evacuated, police told Al Jazeera.
5:32 pm: A fresh tsunami warning has been issued after a strong 8.2-magnitude aftershock rattled the same area, Al Jazeera reports.
5:30 pm: The Pacific 'Ring of Fire'
In the wake of devastating - and unconnected - earthquakes and tsunamis in Indonesia and Samoa, the BBC News website looks at the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire" - the zone of major seismic activity which has one of the world's most active fault lines.
5:25 pm: Disasters to hit Indonesia since 2004
Following is a look at some the major disasters, man-made and natural, to hit Indonesia since the Asian tsunami of 2004 as a 8.7 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia. Read on
5:20 pm: Big aftershocks strike Indonesia's Aceh
At least two major quakes with a magnitude exceeding 8.0 hit off the coast of Indonesia's Aceh province on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survery said, and a tsunami warning remained in effect.
The first quake measured 8.6 at a depth of 14.2 miles, according to the United States Geological Survey. The second quake was measured at 8.2 at a depth of 10.2 miles.
5:15 pm: Aftershocks in Indonesia include quakes of 8.3, 8.8, tsunami warning extended: Reuters
5:10 pm: 5 of the 10 largest earthquakes since 1900 have occurred in the last 8 years.
5:00 pm: The costliest earthquakes of all time
4:45 pm: Recalling the 2004 tsunami that devastated Aceh
A 9.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra in 2004. It triggered a tsunami that left over 200,000 people dead in 14 countries, said CNN. In India, too, several thousand people were killed.
The damage was estimated at nearly $10 billion while the casualties were more than any other tsunami in history, according to the United Nations.
4:40 pm: The Indonesia geophysics agency has extended the tsunami warning in Aceh province for two more hours
4:35 pm: Witness tells Reuters agency that sea water at Simeulue Island near epicentre of quake has been receding by about 10 metres: ABC
4:30 pm: Indonesia's geophysics agency says another aftershock off Aceh of 8.1 magnitude on Richter scale, tsunami potential
4:20 pm: The Union Home Secretary R K Singh has said that there is no cause for alarm along the Indian coastline and that the government is ready to deal with any eventuality.
Despite the scaling down of the tsunami alert, the Chennai port has been shut and fishermen have been asked not to venture out into the sea and to move to higher ground.
Although the likelihood of a tsunami has been almost ruled out, the Indian coastal areas are still on the alert.
NDMA said that there were no unusual waves noticed in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands region yet, indicating that the tsunami is virtually ruled out.
Meanwhile, Kolkata Metro has resumed services after temporary shutdown.
4:16 pm: No likelihood of tsunami in Indian Ocean, says the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The tsunami warning has been scaled down for Indira Point and Kachal in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands region. The US Geological Survey too has said that there is no tsunami threat in Indonesia. Earlier reports said that the tsunami is likely to hit the Chennai coast at around 4.57 p.m.
4:16 pm: Fears of the tsunami hitting the coast of India is lessening by the minute, and here's why: Reuters, citing officials tasked to monitor the tsunami, says the initial wave measures a mere 35 cm (13.8 inches) high. The agency quotes geophysicist Victor Sardina of the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center as saying that while the first wave appears less threatening in magnitude, the agency continues to keep a close eye on developments, as "tsunamis come in waves."
4:14 pm: Kolkata Metro services resume after being suspended for 45 mins
4:12 pm: USGS: Tsunami less likely
4:10 pm: NDMA: No likelihood of tsunami in Indian Ocean
4:07 pm: Thailand's Phuket international airport closed
The international airport on the southern Thai tourist island of Phuket was closed on Wednesday after a tsunami warning was issued following an 8.7 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Indonesia, its director said.
"We have temporarily closed the airport following the tsunami alert," Phuket International Airport Director Prateung Sornkham told Reuters by telephone. Read on
4: 05 pm: Tsunami warning has been scaled down
4:03 pm: Massive earthquake hits Indonesia
This is being done as a precautionary measure in the wake of a tsunami warning issued by Indonesia after a quake with a preliminary magnitude of 8.6 hit Aceh province.
The Kalpakkam plant is situated in seismic zone II.
The department of atomic energy had said in its release in December 2004 that 61 people had died in townships and villages surrounding the plant, of which 31 worked at the plant. 4:00 pm: Indonesia port open after quake, Chennai closes
Reuters reports that Indonesia's port in Banda Aceh remained open after an 8.7 magnitude earthquake struck on Wednesday, while Chennai port shut due to a tsunami watch issued for the whole Indian Ocean, two port authority officials said.
3: 57 pm: Yahoo reader Senthil phones in to say police officials are moving along Chennai's Marina Beach-front, using loud hailers to exhort the public to evacuate in anticipation of high waves that are expected to hit the coast around 4.57 PM. The Tamil Nadu government however has said it has no official warning of a possible tsunami hitting that part of the coast.
3:56 pm: Meanwhile, the Bombay Stock Exchange’s Sensex slipped again after the earthquake hit Aceh, Indonesia and a tsunami warning was issued.
The BSE Sensex slipped by 100 points to 17,144 and the NSE Nifty lost 33 points to 5,210.
Oei! RT @MalaysiaAsia: Thailand urges coastal evacuation after major 8.5 quake in #Indonesia - http://ow.ly/acIHX #earthquake#tsunami
3:55 pm: Ships anchored off the coast of Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been instructed to move to high seas as a tsunami alert has been sounded off for 28 countries. The national disaster centre in Thailand too has issued a tsunami warning and asked people of six Thai provinces to move to higher ground.
3: 54 pm: Bruce Pressgrave of the US Geological Survey told BBC that it was unlikely that a tsunami would be generated since this type of earthquake does not generate a column of water that could cause a tsunami.
“There’s always a hazard but with this kind of quake it reduces the risk of a tsunami,” he said.
While it was hoped that there would be no tsunami it was prudent to issue a tsunami warning given the magnitude of the earthquake, he said.
3: 53 pm: The tsunami centre in Hyderabad has issued a notice for evacuation of beaches. Meanwhile, Kolkata authorities have stopped the Metro services.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has said a tsunami watch is on for India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Australia, Myanmar, Thailand, Maldives, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Mauritius, Reunion, Seychells, Pakistan, Somalia, Oman, Madagascar, Iran, the United Arab Emiraets, Yemen, Bangladesh, South Africa and Kenya.
3:52 pm: Hundreds of office workers in the Indian city of Bangalore left their buildings while the Indian port of Chennai closed down because of the danger of a tsunami, the port said--Reuters
3:50 pm: "Earthquakes of this size have the potential to generate a widespread destructive tsunami that can affect coastlines across the entire Indian Ocean basin," the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said--Indian Express
3:46 pm: People in Banda Aceh screamed ''God is great!'' as they jumped into cars and the backs of motorcycles, clogging streets as they fled to high ground--Indian Express
3: 45 pm: Yahoo reader Pradeep Kumar Reddy writes in of tremors felt in Hyderabad; Anuradha has a similar report from Vishakapattinam; similar reports coming in from Bhubaneswar in Orissa; Tapsi reports in from Pune and Asik from Coimbatore; and several readers write in with stories of mass evacuations from office buildings in Kolkata, which appears to have felt the tremors particularly severely. As reports come in from various parts of the country, all on similar lines, it reinforces the image of the magnitude of the quake off Aceh, for its shock waves to have traveled this far and to be felt with this intensity.
3: 42 pm: Metro trains shut down as precautionary measures in Bangalore
3: 40 pm: Tsunami likely to hit Chennai at 16:57 IST. Tsunami warning says wave of 0.2 M height expected. However, Tamil Nadu says it's yet to receive any Tsunami warning.
3:37 pm: An agency report just in says a quake measuring 3.4 Richter was recorded off the coast of Mumbai, at 18.6 degree latitude and 71.3 degree longitude in the Arabian Sea, which puts it a little over 150 km off the coast of Mumbai. There are informal reports of tremors being felt in various parts of the metropolis, but the Met Office has not verified these reports thus far.
3:36 pm: Aceh (Aceh Darussalam, to give it its full name) was the closest land point to the epicenter of the quake of December 26, 2004 that triggered what has since come to be known as the Boxing Day Tsunami. It manifested as a series of massive waves, some over 30 meters (98 feet) high, that devastated land masses bordering the Indian Ocean. Worst hit was Indonesia, followed by Sri Lanka, India and Thailand; the toll recorded in the quake and tsunami totaled over 230,000, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in history.
3:35 pm: Another quake off Mumbai coast
Reports say that yet another earthquake, measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale, was recorded in the Arabia Sea, about 155 km away from Mumbai. Met department director Rajeev Nair said that the “shock registered at 18.6 degree latitude and 71.3 degree longitude in the Arabian Sea. The epicentre of the quake was 155 km from Mumbai.”
3:32 pm: India's tsunami warning center said waves measuring up to 6 meters were expected along parts of its eastern coast--Reuters
3:31 pm: Typically, it never stops with one quake — when the big ones hit, the first major quake is invariably followed up, over the next few hours and days, by a series of smaller, but intense, aftershocks. For instance, the 48 hours following the March 2011 quake off Japan recorded 275 aftershocks of varying magnitudes. Advisory: stay alert, stay safe. Here's a quick tip-sheet on what to do if the earth shakes again
3:30 pm: Indonesia agency reports 6.5 quake on Richter scale aftershock in Aceh--Reuters
3:25 pm: Aceh, just went to the polls this Monday.
The elections in Aceh are the second since the province suffered 170,000 fatalities in the Asian tsunami of 2004, and since the war against Indonesian rule ended in 2005, having claimed 15,000 lives. Read more
3:23 pm: I felt tremors in cochin for two minutes says Saleem n.m., a Yahoo! user
USGS3:15 pm: 8.7, 9.1 — we hear these numbers thrown about when quakes hit, and all it really tells us is that it is huge. What does it really mean, though, in terms of energy released, and therefore the potential impact and magnitude of devastation? The US Geological Survey site has a primer, complete with calculations. Here is the link
3:13 pm: 8th largest earthquake in 100 years - Times Now
3:12 pm: So far, no reports of damage reported in Indonesia.
3:10 pm: The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said a tsunami watch was in effect for Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Myanmar, Thailand, the Maldives and other Indian Ocean islands, Malaysia, Pakistan, Somalia, Oman, Iran, Bangladesh, Kenya, South Africa and Singapore.
Deadly earthquakes that registered a magnitude of at least 8.5
2:57 pm: I felt it In Guwahati and it lasted for almost 2 minutes...Says Manoj, a Yahoo! user from Guwahati
2:55 pm:The quake triggered a tsunami warning across the Indian Ocean region, BBC reports
10 Biggest Recorded Earthquakes
They've caused death and destruction across the globe, these are the 10 biggest recorded earthquakes.
Indian Ocean tsunami watch issued after massive 8.7-magnitude#earthquake hits Indonesia coast: http://apne.ws/Hw1ZRd -CJ
Waves from possible #tsunami forecast to reach Banda Aceh at 09:30 GMT, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center sayshttp://bbc.in/HuHxzL #earthquake
2:49 pm: The wall of APG's office in Kolkata's business area cracked due to the tremors. 2:42 pm: Tsunami warning issued in 28 nations.
2:41 pm: People on Twitter said tremors were felt in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and India. High-rise apartments and offices on Malaysia's west coast shook for at least a minute. 2:40 pm: Tremors felt in Bangalore, Ooty and Bhubaneshwar as well.
DID YOU FEEL IT? COMMENT BELOW
2:36 pm: The U.S. Geological Survey said the powerful quake was centered 20 miles (33 kilometers) beneath the ocean floor around 308 miles (495 kilometers) from Aceh's provincial capital.
2:30 pm: Mild tremors felt in Chennai, Kolkata and Guwahati after earthquake in Indonesia
2:20 pm: Tsunami warning issued
2:15 pm: 8.9 magnitude quake rocks Indonesia.
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