Panic after tsunami warnings in Sumatra
The Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 caused widespread destruction
Also In The News
|
A tsunami warning has been issued in south-east Asia after a strong earthquake hit the island nation of Indonesia. |  |
Friday, 14, Sep 2007 12:05
Panicked villagers in the Indonesian island of Sumatra are reportedly seeking refuge in the mountainside after tsunami warnings were briefly sounded.
The flight to higher ground in Bengkulu comes after several aftershocks were reported following Wednesday's 8.4 earthquake – the strongest this year.
More than 40 tremors have been recorded by seismologists in Indonesia over the last two days, leading to the country's meteorology agency to issue a tsunami warning on Friday as the deaths of at least 13 people were confirmed.
So far however no major tsunamis have been reported, but frightened residents have abandoned their homes with memories of 2004's devastating tsunami in mind.
More than 280,000 are thought to have been killed in and around the Indian Ocean after a Boxing Day earthquake led to a massive tsunami three years ago.
Some seismologists are warning of further tsunami risk following the aftershocks of the last two days, which peaked at 7.8
Danny Hillman, an earthquake specialist at the Indonesian Institute of Science, told the Associated Press news agency: "There is a strong indication this foreshadows the big one.
"We all agree there is an 8.5 or stronger earthquake waiting to happen."
Indonesia, population 235 million, is a regular victim of earthquakes owing to its situation on the Pacific Ring of Fire seismic belt.