8.5 Earthquake Rocked West Cost of Northern Sumatra Island

[ancientmariner]

Powerful earthquake rocks Southeast Asia, killing at least 9
12:24 AM EST Dec 26

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - A powerful earthquake rocked large parts of Southeast Asia on Sunday. The quake caused dozens of small buildings to collapse and triggered tidal waves in northwestern Indonesia, witnesses and officials said.

Nine people were killed as a result of the undersea quake in Indonesia's northwestern province of Aceh, where most of the damage was reported, el-Shinta radio station quoted a witness as saying.

It was not possible to immediately confirm the reports.

Electricity and telephone networks in parts of the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, were knocked out and dozens of shops and buildings collapsed, the witness told el-Shinta.

"The ground was shaking for a long time," Yayan Zamzani told the station. "It must be the strongest earthquake in the last 15 years."

There were conflicting reports on the size of the temblor, which struck about 8 a.m. and was centred 160 kilometres off the west coast of Sumatra. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a magnitude of 8.5, capable of massive damage. But Indonesian seismologists said the quake had a magnitude of 6.4. There was no way to immediately clarify the discrepancy.

The quake was also felt in neighbouring Thailand and Malaysia. No major damage was reported in those two countries.

A tidal wave hit the Thai tourist resort island Phuket with waves as high as five metres after the earthquake, Thailand's meteorology department said. Some residents in Singapore felt light tremors from the Indonesian quake, local radio reported.

Residents in the towns of Lhokseumawe and Banda Aceh said tidal waves had triggered flooding in coastal regions.

An Associated Press reporter in Lhokseumawe said several houses had been damaged and that water levels on main streets in the town had reached one-metre high. At least one house had been swept away, he said.

Hundreds of people were fleeing to higher ground, he said.

Indonesia, a country of 17,000 islands, is prone to seismic upheaval because of its location on the margins of tectonic plates that make up the so-called Ring of Fire around the Pacific Ocean basin.

Quakes reaching a magnitude 8 are very rare. A quake registering magnitude 8 rocked Japan's northern island of Hokkaido on Sept. 25, 2003, injuring nearly 600 people. An 8.4 magnitude tremor that stuck off the coast of Peru on June 23, 2001, killed 74.

[melonboy]

I just saw the report on CNN, it's a disaster.

They said the west of the island had been hit terribly hard and that more tidal waves could come. Pictures and video of hospitals and the shorefront were shown, and also they said that one hotel had been destroyed. Also mentioned was that hotels had water up to second floor level. Thye didn't mention Patong by name but I recognised the beach road I think, it was a nightmare.

Apparantley Pi Pi island has also been hit really bad and there is also worry for people who could have been out on ferries. The governemnt at present is trying to decide what to do and how to evacuate the thousands of people from Phuket.

I pray that everyone from the board that is in Phuket at the moment is safe and well. This is really, really bad.

[glassmanengland]

AUTHORATIES ARE WARNING OF A SECOND TIDAL WAVE TO HIT IN HOURS.

Im in total shock at what I am seeing

[gregor200]

PHUKET: Kawee Sukunthamath, Chief of the Phuket Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (ODPM), early this evening said that 66 people were confirmed dead by the tidal wave which ravaged Phuket’s coastline this morning. Of the dead, 20 were foreigners. Another 691 people were reported injured and 22 more missing.

Phuket International Airport resumed normal inbound and outbound flight services at about 5 pm this afternoon, after debris left strewn across the runway by the tsunami was cleared off.

Traffic onto and off the island has been redirected over Tao Thepkrasattri Bridge, as the older Sarasin Bridge will remain closed until the government is confident that Phuket is no longer in danger of being hit by a second wave.

In the meantime, many coastal residents have moved inland, fearful that another wave might hit Phuket.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was expected to arrive in Phuket at about 7:30 pm, to inspect the damage and to speak to people suffering from the wave’s devastating effects.

People concerned for the welfare of friends and relatives believed to be on or near the coast when the wave hit can call the emergency rescue center at Tel: 076-214492 or 01-6432755. For calls from outside Thailand, the numbers are Tel: 66 76-214492 or Tel: 66 1 643 2755.

Local police stations may also be able to help. They can be reached by dialling 191 and asking for the district police station for the area concerned.

If calling from outside Thailand, the number for Phuket Provincial Police Headquarters is Tel: 66 76-212046. Phuket Tourist Police may be reached at Tel: 66 76-355015, if dialing from outside the Kingdom.

Readers may find the list of telephone numbers for some of the embassies in Bangkok useful. The numbers are, to the best of the Gazette’s knowledge, up-to-date. Expect to hear a recorded message giving another number for the emergency duty officer.

Australia 66(0) 2 287 2680

Belgium 66 (0) 2 679 5454

Canada 66 (0) 2 636 0540

China 66 (0) 2 245 7032-3 or 2 245 7036

Denmark 66 (0) 2 213 2021-5 or 245 7036

Finland 66 (0) 2 256 9306-9

France 66 (06) 2 266 8250-6 or 2 266 0550-3

Germany 66 (0) 2 287 9000

Ireland 66 (0) 638 0303

Israel 66 (0) 2 260 4854-9

[ancientmariner]

According to the least figure as of 01:03 GMT, more than 4,500 people are feared dead along the coast of Sri Lanka, India, and southern Thailand. In Thailand, at least 223 people had been killed and more than 1,000 injured.

In the famed Emeral Cave off Phuket, rescure workers were able to extract about 70 divers but 2 Thais were killed. More than 600 people were being evacuated by air and sea from Ko Phi Phi.

The earthquake magnitude was updated to 8.9 by the USGS. It was the fifth-largest earthquake since 1900.

[LivinLOS]

WOW they got those divers out... Good news as people fiugured they were gone for sure

[Whazzzup]

Originally Posted by LivinLOS

WOW they got those divers out... Good news as people fiugured they were gone for sure

About 80 of them were saved ..... except two Malaysian divers didn't make it.

[ancientmariner]

A tsunami expert at NOAA in Seattle has said that the potential is great for further aftershocks of about magnitude 8.0 which could led to more tsunamis in the region in the next two days. It is recommended to avoid staying in the affected costal area.