7.9-magnitude quake leads to tsunami alert

Mar 05, 2016, 14:22

Shallow earthquakes are more likely to cause damage, but the USGS said the quake was located far from land, about 659 kilometres from the town of Muara Siberut.

Indonesian officials issued tsunami warnings for the West Sumatra, North Sumatra and Aceh regions, but those warnings were later lifted by Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency, or BNPB.

"The latest condition, there is no report about victims, damage or tsunami", Nugroho said later in the afternoon.

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No tsunami warnings were issued in India or Sri Lanka.

Indonesia installed 22 buoys in the country's oceans in an effort to early detect threats caused by tidal waves following the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean tragedy which killed over 22,000 people. TV reports said patients at hospitals in Padang were evacuated and there were traffic jams as panicking residents tried to leave.

The tectonics of Indonesia are very complex, as it is a meeting point of several tectonic plates, which makes it one of the most active quake hotspots in the world. The quake was felt strongly on small islands on the outer western coast, sparking some panic.

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'Residents close to the town of Padang told that two quakes were believed by them around two minutes apart.

The US Geological Service said the quake was of 7.8 magnitude and centred under the ocean at a depth of 2 kilometres.

Fears ran high on Wednesday evening when it was reported that the tremor had measured 8.2 and authorities issued tsunami alerts. However, Singapore is unlikely to be affected by the quake, said the National Environment Agency.

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Tsunami warnings are no longer in place for Christmas Island and Cocos Islands. It said evacuations were not required but due to large waves and strong currents, people should "get out of the water and move away from the immediate water's edge".