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| Edited By: |Source: |Updated: Jan 22, 2014, 03:35 PM IST
CNN reports:
The quake struck about 430 kilometers from Banda Aceh, the capital of Indonesia's Aceh province, and had a magnitude of 8.7, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It took place at a depth of 33 kilometers.
The BBC, quoting Thai officials, has said the west coast of the Andamans is at high risk of a tsunami:
The Thai office of disaster management said people along the west coast of Andaman province should heed warnings and evacuate.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has put out the likely tsunami arrival times for Indian cities:
LITTLE_ANDAMAN 1546 IST
PORT_BLAIR 1602 IST
NORTH_ANDAMAN 1622 IST
CHENNAI 1657 IST
KAKINADA 1735 IST
TRIVANDRUM 1738 IST
MANGALORE 1906 IST
BOMBAY 2138 IST
GULF_OF_KUTCH 2204 IST
Reuters has a fact box of the largest earthquakes in the last century. Today's is sure to rank high up in that list. The report will be up on dnaindia.com soon.
There are reports that the water is receding along Phuket's coast. The water usually recedes before tidal waves hit the shores, and this is a definite cause for worry.
The Phuket airport has been shut.
The Malaysian met department has adviced people along the coastal areas to evacuate and get to higher ground.
TV reports quoting the US Geologicla Survey are saying that the likelihood of a tsunami following the Indonesia quake is low, since the waves seem to have travelled hoprizontally.
India's National Disaster Management Authority, which was set up following the 2004 Asian tsunami devastated India's east coast, has also put out a bulletin saying there is no likelihood of a tsunami along India's coast.
As often happens at such times, there are conflicting reports from different agencies.
The US Geological Survey is saying a destructive tsunami is unlikely, while the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre says that sea level readings indicate that a tsunami has been generated and it may have already caused destruction along some coast lines in the Indian Ocean.
The situation should get clearer very soon.
Rediff.com, quoting Mahesh Bhatt on Twitter, who is in turn quoting Pooja Bhatt, who is in Phuket scouting locations for Jism 2, saying that the tsunami is about to hit Phuket. The Ocean is receding
Indonesia officials report aftershocks in Aceh include a 8.8-magnitude tremor; a new tsunami warning is issued.
We had earlier reported how the US Geological Survey and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre were giving contradicting bulletins.
Now, here's what the Indian authorities are saying.
And from what we can understand from the colours and wording on the bulletin is that the Andamans is at a high risk, while the rest of the Indian coast seems to be fine.
The coastal states, however, are not taking any chances, and are evacuating their coastal areas.
@AlertNet on Twitter has posted:
Sea water at Simeulue Island near epicentre of Aceh quake seen receding by about 10 metres - Reuters witness
So the tsunami threat in that region around Aceh remains high, as also Phuket.
Here's more on the 'will it, will it not' debate:
News agency AFP, quoting British Geological Survey Seismologist, Susanne Sargeant, said the risk of a tsunami being generated by the earthquake off Sumatra on Wednesday is low.
Some important dos and don'ts in the event of a quake: What to do in an earthquake
People gather outside an office in Kathmandu after the earthquake.
Photograph courtesy: @UjjwalAcharya (twitter)
Photograph courtesy: @ndtv (twitter)
A photograph from Kolkata
Photo courtesy: @Aagan86
NDTV'S Nitin Gokhale tweets: 2 C-130-Js heavy lift IAF aircraft leaving for Port Blair with NDRF teams, 10 tonnes of relief material. IL-76 leaving Chandigarh for Chennai.
The early reports following the Aceh aftershocks are not encouraging.
Read the report here
The early reports following the Aceh aftershocks are not encouraging.
Read the report here
The early report on the Indonesia quake.