When earthquake rocks, again
[Geographic]
Jakarta (Agencies): A massive earthquake may have killed up to 2,000 people on Indonesia's Nias island, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said today.
"Roughly, it is expected between 1,000 and 2,000 died," he told El Shinta news radio about casualties from the 8.7 magnitude quake late on Monday night (early today AEST) off the main island of Sumatra.
"With 80 per cent buildings in Gunungsitoli having been damaged, that could happen," Kalla said.
Gunungsitoli, the main town on Nias island, was particularly hard hit in the quake which sparked fears of a tsunami in Indian Ocean countries.
His estimate was in contrast with that of aid agency SurfAid, which quoted the head of Nias' health department as saying there had been only "minimal" deaths.
Gunungsitoli deputy Mayor Agus Mendrofa was quoted by Metro TV as saying some 10,000 people had fled the town for higher ground.
Gunungsitoli's population was estimated at around 27,000 before the quake.
Many were reported buried or trapped in debris.
"About the victims, we cannot count them now. We only know there are many buildings flattened (and) a big possibility there will be hundreds of people killed," Nias police Sergeant Zulkifly Sirait said earlier.
Police official Raja Gukguk said authorities were still trying to determine the extent of casualties.
"We predict that up to 75 per cent (of Gunungsitoli) has been badly damaged ... at least for now 70 per cent of buildings have collapsed," he told Reuters by phone from Gunungsitoli.
"The situation is still panic because every 15 minutes there are quakes," said Nias deputy police chief Alisman Nainggolan, speaking some six hours after the main quake hit at 2.15am AEST.
Nias, off the western coast of Sumatra and about 1,400km north-west of Jakarta, is a remote and rugged island regarded as a surfing paradise for a fabled right-hand break.
Other News:
"100 per cent" chance of tsunami: expert
There is a "100 per cent" chance of a tsunami threatening Indian Ocean nations following a massive 8.7 magnitude quake off the coast of Indonesia, a US seismologist said today.
"My personal view is that a tsunami has a 100 per cent chance of happening," US Geological Survey (USGS) earthquake expert Kerry Sieh told journalists in Los Angeles.
The US National Weather Service's Pacific Tsunami Warning centre, based in Hawaii, called for "immediate action" against a tsunami following the quake off Sumatra island around 11.15pm (0215 Tuesday AEST).
The USGS, one of the global leaders in earthquake monitoring, said the quake measured 8.7 on the Richter scale.
It was the biggest aftershock since the December 26 quake in the same region that measured 9.0 on the Richter scale and caused a tsunami which left nearly 300,000 dead or missing in countries surrounding the Indian Ocean.
The epicentre of the new quake was about 205km west of Sibolga on Sumatra and 245km south-west of the Sumatra city of Medan.
An earthquake over 8.0 on the Richter scale is strong enough to cause massive damage and loss of life.
Australian seismologists also said today the earthquake could still produce a tsunami as big as the Boxing Day event.
The Bureau of Meteorology said a 25cm tsunami hit Australia's remote Cocos Island early today and bigger tidal surges were expected to strike Australia's west coast.
Phil Cummins of Geoscience Australia said that although no major tsunami had yet been reported near the quake epicentre off Indonesia's Sumatra island, a big tidal surge could still be heading across the Indian Ocean towards Africa.
"I would say there is still potential for this to have generated a large tsunami," Cummins said.
The bureau initially reported the tsunami measured just 10cm at Cocos Island, located in the deep waters of the Indian Ocean south of Sumatra, but later upgraded that to 25cm.
"That's fairly big for the deep ocean," Cummins said.
An alert had been issued for a 1m surge expected to hit the west Australian coast.
That is the same size as a wave that struck the area after the December 26 quake.
Asked if the east coast of Africa could still be struck by a major tsunami from the latest quake, Cummins said: "I would say it's still something we have to regard as a possibility."
"We've seen the thing at Cocos Island and that really does tell us we have to exercise caution," he said. AFP
Another Links:
Seismic Monitor
Lethal quake rattles tsunami zone - BBC
Quake kills at least 300 on Indonesian island - CNN
Indon VP: Earthquake may have killed up to 2,000 in western Indonesia - The Star
Gegaran pada 8.2 skala Richter turut dirasai di Malaysia - Utusan
Jakarta (Agencies): A massive earthquake may have killed up to 2,000 people on Indonesia's Nias island, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said today.
"Roughly, it is expected between 1,000 and 2,000 died," he told El Shinta news radio about casualties from the 8.7 magnitude quake late on Monday night (early today AEST) off the main island of Sumatra.
"With 80 per cent buildings in Gunungsitoli having been damaged, that could happen," Kalla said.
Gunungsitoli, the main town on Nias island, was particularly hard hit in the quake which sparked fears of a tsunami in Indian Ocean countries.
His estimate was in contrast with that of aid agency SurfAid, which quoted the head of Nias' health department as saying there had been only "minimal" deaths.
Gunungsitoli deputy Mayor Agus Mendrofa was quoted by Metro TV as saying some 10,000 people had fled the town for higher ground.
Gunungsitoli's population was estimated at around 27,000 before the quake.
Many were reported buried or trapped in debris.
"About the victims, we cannot count them now. We only know there are many buildings flattened (and) a big possibility there will be hundreds of people killed," Nias police Sergeant Zulkifly Sirait said earlier.
Police official Raja Gukguk said authorities were still trying to determine the extent of casualties.
"We predict that up to 75 per cent (of Gunungsitoli) has been badly damaged ... at least for now 70 per cent of buildings have collapsed," he told Reuters by phone from Gunungsitoli.
"The situation is still panic because every 15 minutes there are quakes," said Nias deputy police chief Alisman Nainggolan, speaking some six hours after the main quake hit at 2.15am AEST.
Nias, off the western coast of Sumatra and about 1,400km north-west of Jakarta, is a remote and rugged island regarded as a surfing paradise for a fabled right-hand break.
Other News:
"100 per cent" chance of tsunami: expert
There is a "100 per cent" chance of a tsunami threatening Indian Ocean nations following a massive 8.7 magnitude quake off the coast of Indonesia, a US seismologist said today.
"My personal view is that a tsunami has a 100 per cent chance of happening," US Geological Survey (USGS) earthquake expert Kerry Sieh told journalists in Los Angeles.
The US National Weather Service's Pacific Tsunami Warning centre, based in Hawaii, called for "immediate action" against a tsunami following the quake off Sumatra island around 11.15pm (0215 Tuesday AEST).
The USGS, one of the global leaders in earthquake monitoring, said the quake measured 8.7 on the Richter scale.
It was the biggest aftershock since the December 26 quake in the same region that measured 9.0 on the Richter scale and caused a tsunami which left nearly 300,000 dead or missing in countries surrounding the Indian Ocean.
The epicentre of the new quake was about 205km west of Sibolga on Sumatra and 245km south-west of the Sumatra city of Medan.
An earthquake over 8.0 on the Richter scale is strong enough to cause massive damage and loss of life.
Australian seismologists also said today the earthquake could still produce a tsunami as big as the Boxing Day event.
The Bureau of Meteorology said a 25cm tsunami hit Australia's remote Cocos Island early today and bigger tidal surges were expected to strike Australia's west coast.
Phil Cummins of Geoscience Australia said that although no major tsunami had yet been reported near the quake epicentre off Indonesia's Sumatra island, a big tidal surge could still be heading across the Indian Ocean towards Africa.
"I would say there is still potential for this to have generated a large tsunami," Cummins said.
The bureau initially reported the tsunami measured just 10cm at Cocos Island, located in the deep waters of the Indian Ocean south of Sumatra, but later upgraded that to 25cm.
"That's fairly big for the deep ocean," Cummins said.
An alert had been issued for a 1m surge expected to hit the west Australian coast.
That is the same size as a wave that struck the area after the December 26 quake.
Asked if the east coast of Africa could still be struck by a major tsunami from the latest quake, Cummins said: "I would say it's still something we have to regard as a possibility."
"We've seen the thing at Cocos Island and that really does tell us we have to exercise caution," he said. AFP
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