A massive quake has struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra, but initial fears of a region-wide disaster faded as tsunami warnings were cancelled.
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The National Meteorological Agency said there were six aftershocks of decreasing strength during the night.
All 22 tsunami warning buoys installed near vulnerable islands failed to work when a powerful quake struck off the coast of Sumatra on Wednesday, Indonesian officials have said. According to the update theearth quake occured in the west coast of Sumatra which triggered the authorities to issue Tsunami warnings. numerous South East Asian countries were also alerted by the authorities which had given warnings of Tsunami.
Patients return after temporarily left a hospital building following an natural disaster in Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 2, 2016.
The shallower a quake, the more likely it is to cause damage. The epicentre was 808 kilometres southwest of Padang, USGS said.
The United States Geological Survey says the quake had a magnitude of 7.8, and struck at a relatively shallow depth of 24 km a little before 8 a.m. EST.
Erwin, a resident of Mentawai, a chain of islands off Sumatra, told Metro TV: “I am at the beach now looking to see any tsunami sign with my flashlight”.
The local daily notes that when the warning was issued, Padang residents who lived near the coast fled their homes and drove to safer areas aboard their motorcycles and cars.
Chaotic traffic is seen on a street as people try to reach higher ground following a strong quake in Indonesia.
“There has been no major damage reported”, she said.
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology said evacuations were not required on the islands but advised people to “get out of the water and move away from the immediate water’s edge”, because of the risk of risky waves and currents.
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The 2004 tsunami killed over 35,000 people in Sri Lanka’s southern and eastern coastal areas and left over a million people homeless.
