Updates: The earthquake had a magnitude of 8.7 * The fear of tsunami waves has been removed

Geophysical Institute in Indonesia: The noise does not appear to trigger a tsunami; Earlier, the center called for a tsunami warning to evacuate the residents from the coastal areas; Thousands of residents fled their homes in Sumatra, Singapore and Malaysia

If you meant the earthquake that occurred in Indonesia on September 30, 2009, click on this link

Avi Blizovsky, concentration of sources

Direct link to this page: https://www.hayadan.org.il/quacke290305.html

the center of the noise

29/3/05 שעה 09:00

The Indonesian government announced this morning that the death toll from the earthquake that hit the region last night is estimated at 1,000. Hundreds of people are still trapped under the rubble. According to reports, about 70% of the houses in the area have completely collapsed. The vice president of Indonesia estimated tonight that the death toll in the disaster could reach 2,000 people.
The earthquake, with a magnitude of 8.7 on the Richter scale, was felt last night in the area of ​​Nias Island in western Indonesia. Following the noise, many residents fled the coastal areas, fearing the formation of tsunami waves in the islands and neighboring countries. "An earthquake of this type can cause a tsunami in the region", warned Jan Egeland, the coordinator of the UN rescue efforts, and yet he said "there are currently no reports of such a wave anywhere". Most of the neighboring countries did cancel the warnings against tsunami waves.

This morning minor noises were felt in the area, with the most significant being 5.7 on the Richter scale. The sea waves in the area reached a height of 3 meters this morning, but scientists estimate that it is not a tsunami.

28 / 3 22: 15

An earthquake with a magnitude of 8.7 on the Richter scale struck this evening (Monday) in the Indian Ocean, near the coast of Indonesia - this is what the US Geological Survey said. Initially, the intensity of the noise was estimated at 8.2 on the Richter scale, but now the experts estimate that it was louder.

The noise happened at six in the evening (Israel time). On the island of Nias in Indonesia, dozens of people were killed and hundreds of homes were destroyed. In Indonesia, it was reported that many people were trapped in the rubble. In the province of Banda Aceh, many residents are fleeing to higher ground. In Sri Lanka, too, residents were asked to stay at least two kilometers away from the coast, to higher areas. Thousands of residents were seen fleeing their homes in Sumatra, Singapore and Malaysia. In Thailand, about 3,000 residents and tourists were evacuated to higher ground.

About three hours after the earthquake, the Geophysical Institute in Indonesia said that the noise does not seem to trigger a tsunami, and that as time passes, the chance of a tsunami decreases. However, the American Geological Survey predicts that the noise will cause a large wave to hit Sumatra, and may also damage Sri Lanka and Africa.

The intensity of the noise is approaching that of December, with an intensity of 9.0 on the Richter scale, which caused the death of about a quarter of a million people, and left about 1.5 million homeless. The epicenter - about 400 km southwest of Banda Aceh - is also close to the previous epicenter. However, not all earthquakes cause tsunamis.

28 / 3 21: 45

A small tsunami hit the coast of the Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean

A relatively weak tsunami wave hit the Cocos Islands in the Indian Ocean following an earthquake measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale that hit the area. No casualties are known. The islands are south of the epicenter.
Meanwhile, the US Geological Service reported that the earthquake in Sumatra had a magnitude of 8.7 on the Richter scale.

21:20
An official in Indonesia said that hundreds of houses collapsed on the island of Sumatra, which was closest to the epicenter of the earthquake. There is fear for the lives of dozens of people.

Update 28/3 hour 20:40

Buildings on the island of Nias in Indonesia were badly damaged by the earthquake - this is what a resident told the local television. Officials on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia said that there is still no sign of tsunami waves following the earthquake.
(Various news agencies)

Initial update, 28/3 20:00

Only three months have passed since the natural disaster occurred that claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of residents - tonight it seems to be approaching again: a strong earthquake hit the Indian Ocean again. An extremely intense earthquake, measuring 8 on the Richter scale, hit the Indian Ocean, near the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, at a depth of 25 kilometers.

The authorities in Thailand and Indonesia have issued a severe warning against tsunami waves. Residents were asked to stay away from the beaches. So far no damage or casualties have been reported in the area. "I was getting ready to go to bed, and then I felt the room shaking," a resident of the area told the AP news agency. "At first I thought I was hallucinating, but then I heard my neighbors screaming and going outside."

Many residents of the Aceh province in Indonesia, which was badly hit by the tsunami disaster three months ago, began to flee their homes. Thousands of residents of the west coast of Malaysia fled to higher areas, mainly to high floors of hotels and skyscrapers. The earthquake struck the area during the night in the east, and many residents fled their homes wearing pajamas.

About three months ago, hundreds of thousands of people perished from the tsunami waves that hit Southeast Asia, near the area where the current noise occurred. It was the biggest natural disaster in the last 40 years. More than 11 people were left homeless after the disaster, in the 11 affected countries. The geologists point out that the current noise is a side noise, strong in intensity, to the noise from three months ago.
The intensity of the noise is approaching that of December, with an intensity of 9.0 on the Richter scale, which caused the death of about a quarter of a million people, and left about 1.5 million homeless. The epicenter - about 400 km southwest of Banda Aceh - is also close to the previous epicenter. However, not all earthquakes cause tsunamis.

Thousands of residents fled their homes in Sumatra, Singapore and Malaysia. Residents reported that they felt a strong tremor. Thailand, India and Sri Lanka have issued tsunami warnings in coastal areas. The Tsunami Warning Center warns of extremely destructive giant waves that will wash up the coast of Indonesia. The center called on the authorities to immediately evacuate residents from coastal areas in Indonesia, fearing they would be flooded. The Center for Geological Research in the USA and the authorities in Japan also expressed fear of a tsunami.

About a week and a half ago, scientists who analyzed data from the tsunami disaster in December determined that there is a chance of another devastating earthquake in the area in the coming months. However, today's earthquake is stronger than the scientists expected: they predicted a noise of up to 7.5 on the Richter scale.

Panic across Asia due to fear of another tsunami

Towards the morning the fear of a tsunami subsided, but the disaster on the island of Nias was discovered - hundreds of deaths so far

Jakarta. Hundreds of people were killed in an earthquake measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale, which occurred off the coast of Indonesia and hit the Indonesian island of Nias yesterday. The noise also caused great panic in the countries of the region due to fear of another tsunami wave, similar to the one that killed about 300 thousand people in Asia and Africa about three months ago.

However, after long hours of anxiety it became clear that apparently no tsunami waves were created as a result of the noise. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced yesterday that the Ministry's representatives in the field were instructed to closely monitor the events in the countries of the region. The assessments in the situation room did not change, and it was reported from there that "we are ready for any eventuality".

Around 19:00 (Israel time) the first reports of a strong earthquake were received in Indonesia

which happened off the coast of the island of Sumatra, not far from the place where the noise that led to the formation of the destructive tsunami waves in December occurred. "The noise caused enormous panic in Sumatra, you could feel the anxiety all over the island," said Jan England, head of the UN aid agency.

The "Tsunami Warning Center" in the Pacific Ocean announced that the earthquake could cause a "devastating and large-scale tsunami", and that the authorities should take "immediate action". The countries of the region, Thailand, Malaysia, India and Sri Lanka, rushed to issue a tsunami warning for the areas affected by the disaster three months ago. Thailand called on people living along parts of the west coast, including tourists on the resort island of Phuket, to evacuate those places and Malaysia also issued a warning to beach dwellers. Sri Lanka hastened to evacuate one of the east coast cities.

In Phuket, Thailand, where many tourists were killed in the previous disaster, the roads leading into the interior of the country were blocked by thousands of vehicles of local residents and tourists, who tried to escape to higher areas. "There are hundreds of people who have climbed a hill and more and more vehicles are making their way there," said the mother of two, who fled after a friend told her that a tsunami wave was approaching. "I can't stand it," said another man.

Even in Indonesia, which did not issue a tsunami warning, tens of thousands of people in the north and west of the island of Sumatra began to flee their homes to higher places. At the same time, the rescue forces began to flow to the island of Nias. At least 340 of the island's residents were killed, and 10,000 people were left homeless - the local police said. Officials estimated that 75% of the buildings on the island collapsed. "Hundreds of buildings were damaged or collapsed, people who were standing just fell. We are not sure about the number of victims, but it is possible that hundreds of people are buried under the rubble", said the deputy head of Nias district, Agus Mandropa, who hastened to add: "There was no report of a tsunami".

A few hours after the earthquake, when no tsunami waves were observed in the area, the countries began to cancel the warnings they had issued. "The situation is back to normal," announced the Meteorological Center of Thailand. "The area is safe and we canceled the evacuation order. The residents can return to their homes." As of this evening, no casualties have been reported in these countries. A few small tsunami waves were indeed observed on their way towards Mauritius, Madagascar, the Cocos Islands and Sri Lanka, which nevertheless canceled the tsunami warning; But experts at the Tsunami Warning Center said that even if there is damage from an impact, it will be less than the previous tsunami.

Indonesia, which suffered the highest number of victims in the tsunami disaster in December, may not be hit by a tsunami as a result of the latest tremor, but normality in the country is far from returning. Even during the night, the rescue forces continued to search for survivors among the ruins of the island of Nias. "Because of the darkness, we still cannot count the number of casualties or the number of destroyed buildings," said Sergeant Zulkifi Sirait of the local police, "It is possible that hundreds of people, trapped in the destroyed buildings, will die."
A thousand dead so far in Indonesia

The earthquake in Indonesia - one of the eight strongest in the last century

Children sit next to their injured mother on the island of Nias in Indonesia. Indonesia's vice president said the death toll could reach 2,000 people

Photo: E.P

Gunongsitoli (Reuters). Yesterday's earthquake in Indonesia, which was one of the eight strongest earthquakes in the last hundred years, has resulted in the death of about a thousand people so far - this is what the "Center for Disaster Management" in Indonesia said yesterday. Indonesia's vice president said the death toll could reach 2,000 people. Rescue forces are now working on the Indonesian island of Nias, which suffered the worst blow as a result of the earthquake, and are trying to rescue survivors from the ruins and help the island's residents.

Despite the panic that spread in Asian countries last night and the warnings about an approaching tsunami wave that were issued in some countries, the fears were misplaced. The earthquake in December, which resulted in the deadly tsunami that killed around 300 people, had a magnitude of 9.0 on the Richter scale - three times higher than yesterday's magnitude of 8.7. The center of the noise was determined only about 160 kilometers away from the earthquake that led to the tsunami disaster in December.

The noise, which happened close to midnight, caused terror and panic in western Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the coasts of India, Malaysia and Thailand. The epicenter was near Sumatra in Indonesia. The noise destroyed Gunungsitoli - the main city on the island of Nias which was the closest to the place of the noise. The runways at the site were destroyed, and the first aid plane was only able to land late at night. Many of the buildings in the city were completely destroyed. The bodies of the dead were gathered in a mosque in the city, and the aid teams treated the wounded at a soccer field.

Most of the city's residents spent the night outside their homes, which were destroyed by the quake or were too dangerous to stay in. In addition, the city's electricity and water supply was cut off. Workers at the international aid organization "Oxfam" said that the roads in the city were completely destroyed. "Right now, bodies are being recovered from the ruins," said Alessandra Villa-Boas, a member of the organization. "The water system completely collapsed, and huge potholes opened up on the roads."

In the city of Medan province in Sumatra, the spokesman for the Aceh and North Sumatra Disaster Center, Ernie Ginting, said that "we estimate that a thousand people have been killed on the island." About 700 thousand inhabitants live in Nias, and its beaches are considered paradise for surfers. Another official said that at least 15 people were killed and dozens injured on the island of Simolo north of Nias.

The President of the United States, George Bush, offered on Tuesday to provide aid to the victims of the earthquake. Bush, who was criticized for responding to the tsunami disaster in December only days later, this time stopped midway through a White House speech on Iraq to address the disaster. "The earthquake claimed victims and destroyed buildings in an area in Indonesia that is just now beginning to recover from the devastation caused by the tsunami three months ago," Bush said. "The Indonesian people should know that our prayers are with them, and that our government is ready to help. Our authorities have offered initial assistance, and they are working quickly to gather information and determine whether additional assistance is needed," he added.

Despite the late hour and the panic that was caused, the countries affected by the earthquake coped well with the situation, in light of their sad experience in the past. Unlike the previous earthquake in December, when Asian countries were not included in the disaster warning network at all, this time the "Tsunami Warning Center" in Hawaii immediately alerted and spread the warning about the danger of a possible tsunami in all the countries of the region. However, even before dawn, the warning was canceled in Thailand, Sri Lanka and India.

Although panic was reported among the residents of the region, who are still suffering from severe trauma due to the tsunami disaster, the overall response in the countries of the region was that "it is better to act than to regret later". In Banda Aceh, the area that suffered the worst damage from the tsunami in December, frightened residents filled the streets after the earthquake yesterday. "We went out into the street, and everyone was panicking. Some people shouted, "Water, water! The water is coming again," said one of the residents. At the tourist sites along the ocean shores, where the number of tourists dropped significantly compared to last year, severe traffic jams were created. Local residents and tourists boarded any possible vehicle to escape to higher ground.