“Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) – A massive earthquake struck off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Wednesday afternoon, triggering a tsunami alert for the Indian Ocean.
The quake struck about 434 kilometers (270 miles) southwest of Banda Aceh, the capital of Indonesia‘s Aceh province, and had a magnitude of 8.6, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It took place at a depth of 23 kilometers (14 miles).
A second quake, magnitude 8.2, occurred off the west coast of Sumatra about two hours later, the USGS said.
Gary Gibson from the Seismology Research Center in Melbourne, Australia, said the location of the second quake reduces the possibility of a tsunami.
There were no immediate reports of destruction or deaths Wednesday.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on local television that there were no reports of casualties or damage in Aceh.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami watch for the entire Indian Ocean, and the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said it had put up a tsunami warning as well.
Sea level readings indicate a tsunami was generated, the warning center said. “It may already have been destructive along some coasts.”
May God be with those in the affected areas. I wonder if there were animals who were warning about earthquake/tsunami dangers in the last few weeks?
With MANY THANKS To Both CNN Wire Staff And CNN.com. Read More Here:“Quake Off Indonesia Triggers Tsunami Alert”
Related articles
- Earthquake of magnitude 8.7 strikes off Sumatra, Indonesia (edition.cnn.com)
- Tsunami alert after 8.7 quake (news.ninemsn.com.au)
- ABC News: 8.7 quake off Aceh triggers #tsunami alert (tonyserve.wordpress.com)
- Indian Ocean tsunami watch issued for Aceh quake (dawn.com)
- Update: Tsunami Warning After Massive EarthQuake Hits Indonesia (disaster-report.blogspot.com)
- Indonesia Issues Tsunami Warning After 8.7 Magnitude Quake Off West Coast (techfleece.com)
- Earthquake felt in Chennai, Base Sumatra (krzna.wordpress.com)
- Indonesia issues tsunami warning after 8.9-magnitude earthquake – The Guardian (guardian.co.uk)
- Sri Lanka: Tsunami watch issued for countries across indian Ocean (tamilnet.com)
indonesia batik (Photo credit: FriskoDude)
