Breaking News ..........8.7 Earthquake hits Indonesia

Residents fleeing their homes and heading for the high ground on fears of a Tsunami. It struck on the coast of Sumatra, no news yet, but India and
Thailand have issued warnings.

P.S. I think Cameron is in Indonesia at this moment trying to drum up trade.

http://uk.yahoo.com/

A powerful earthquake has struck off the coast of Indonesia (Copyright: Reuters)JAKARTA (Reuters) - An 8.7 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia on Wednesday, sending residents around the region dashing out of their homes and offices in fear.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami watch was in effect for the entire Indian Ocean and individual countries, including Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India, issued tsunami warnings.

People near the coast in six Thai provinces were ordered to higher ground.

The quake struck 308 miles (500 km) southwest of the city of Banda Aceh, on the northern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra island, at a depth of 20.5 miles (33 km), the U.S. Geological survey said.

Indonesia's disaster management agency said power was down in Aceh province and people were gathering on high ground as sirens warned of the danger.

"The electricity is down, there are traffic jams to access higher ground. Sirens and Koran recitals from mosques are everywhere," said Sutopo, spokesman for the agency.

The quake was felt as far away as the Thai capital, Bangkok, and in southern India, residents said.

Hundreds of office workers in the Indian city of Bangalore left their buildings while the Indian port of Chennai closed down because of the danger of a tsunami, the port said.

The quake was in roughly in the same area as a December 26, 2004, quake of 9.1 magnitude, which sent huge tsunami waves crashing into Sumatra, where 170,000 people were killed, and across the Indian Ocean.

In all, the 2004 tsunami killed about 230,000 people in 13 Indian Ocean countries, including Thailand, Sri Lanka and India.

The 2004 quake was at a depth of 18 miles (30 km) along a fault line running under the Indian Ocean, off western Indonesia and up into the Bay of Bengal.

One expert told the BBC the Wednesday quake as a "strike-slip" fault, meaning a more horizontal shift of the ground under the sea as opposed to a sudden vertical shift, and less risk of a large displacement of water triggering a tsunami.

The quake was also felt in Sri Lanka, where office workers in the capital, Colombo, fled their offices, and the southern Thai holiday island of Phuket, both of which were hit hard by the 2004 tsunami.

In Bangladesh, where two tremors were felt, authorities said there appeared to be no threat of a tsunami. Australia also said there was no threat of a tsunami there.

(Reporting by Jakarta, Bangalore and Bangkok bureaus; Writing by Robert Birsel; Editing by Nick Macfie)

A new warning after a strong aftershock hits
http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16206405

3:31pm UK, Wednesday April 11, 2012

Tsunami warnings triggered by a powerful earthquake and aftershock off the coast of Indonesia have been lifted in countries surrounding the Indian Ocean.
An 8.6-magnitude earthquake southwest of Indonesia's Sumatra island on Wednesday morning (GMT) was followed hours later by an 8.2-magnitude aftershock.

Tsunami warnings were issued in countries around the region, including in India, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

Terrified people fled their homes and headed for higher ground, as disaster officials scrambled to assess the nature of the seismic events.

The US Geological Survey said the first quake originated 20 miles (33km) underground and 271 miles (437km) from Banda Aceh, on Sumatra.

The second incident was detected 10 miles (16km) beneath the ocean floor and some 383 miles (617km) from the Indonesian town.

Just before the powerful aftershock, reports had said the sea at Simeulue Island, south of Sumatra, had receded by about 10 metres.



Location of initial earthquake and powerful aftershock off the coast of Indonesia

But other reports from around the region suggested the tremors were not as serious as first feared.

Tsunamis of up to 80cm (31in) hit Indonesia in at least three places, according to the country's meteorological agency.

Indonesian cabinet minister Anudith Nakornthap said: "After checking all information, we found that the situation is stable.

"There was a small tsunami, but there was no impact."

Hours later, most countries that had issued tsunami warnings had downgraded the advice, and there were no reports of damage or casualties.

The initial earthquake and tsunami warning had sparked panic around the Indian Ocean.

Residents along India's east coast were told to move away from the shoreline, as were people on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, while Sri Lanka also urged those on the coast to move inland.

A warning was also issued for six provinces in Thailand, including Phuket and Phangnga, with people advised to move away from the ocean.

Britons holidaying in southeast Asia were told to follow local advice following the tremors and tsunami warnings.

A Foreign Office said British nationals in the region should monitor media reports and "call home to let family know they are safe".

:: Live updates on the Indonesian earthquake and aftershock



The general manager of the Ramada Resort in Khao Lak, Phangnga, told Sky News he was evacuating his guests to higher ground and believed all other hotels in the area were doing the same thing.

The international airport on the tourist island of Phuket was also closed.

Earlier, Indonesia's president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told reporters in Jakarta: "Our warning system is working well."

He added: "I have ordered the national relief team to fly immediately to Aceh to ensure the situation is under control and to take any necessary action."

The original quake was felt in Singapore, Thailand, Bangladesh, Malaysia and the Indian cities of Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore.

Terrified residents in Indonesia cowered on the ground outside their homes as the earth shook beneath them, while in Thailand, people also poured into the streets.

Kenya even issued a tsunami warning along its Indian Ocean coastline following the quake, as did Tanzania, with fishermen urged to "keep off the sea".

Banda Aceh was near the epicentre of the devastating 2004 quake that triggered a tsunami across the Indian Ocean, which killed 170,000 people.

::

Thankfully, it appears the fears of a Tsunami have subsided and the damage to properties etc has been minimal. The 2004 Earthquake caused 240,000
deaths, no one can forget that.