Quake sparks panic in Indonesia as residents remember 2004
Source: Agencies |
April 12, 2012, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
Two massive earthquakes triggered back-to-back tsunami warnings for Indonesia yesterday, sending panicked residents fleeing to high ground in cars and on the backs of motorcycles. No deadly waves or serious damage resulted, and a watch for much of the Indian Ocean was lifted after a few hours.
Women and children cried in Aceh, where memories are still raw of a 2004 tsunami that killed 170,000 people in the province alone. Others screamed as they poured from their homes or searched frantically for separated family members.
Patients were wheeled out of hospitals, some still lying in their beds with drips attached to their arms.
At least one hotel guest was slightly injured when he jumped out of a window.
The US Geological Survey said the first 8.6-magnitude quake was a shallow 22 kilometers, hitting in the sea 435 kilometers from Aceh's provincial capital.
An alert that followed from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii advised countries all along the rim of the Indian Ocean, from Australia and India to as far off as Africa, that a seismically charged wave could head their way.
Two deadly tsunamis in the last decade - the most recent off Japan just a year ago - have left the world much better prepared.
Sirens sounded along coastlines and warnings spread like wildfire by text message. Though often chaotic, evacuations began immediately with streets clogged with traffic, especially in Aceh.
The only wave to hit, though, was less than 80 centimeters high, rolling to Indonesia's emptied coastline.
Just as the region was sighing relief, an 8.2-magnitude aftershock followed. Residents in Aceh could hardly believe it.
"What did we do to deserve this?" cried Aisyah Husaini, 47, who lost both her parents and a son in the 2004 tsunami. "What sins have we committed?"
"I'm so scared, I don't want to lose my family again," she said, clinging to her two children in a mosque in Banda Aceh, where hundreds of people sheltered.
Again, though, the threat quickly passed.
Experts said the quakes did not have the potential to create massive tsunamis because the friction and shaking occurred horizontally, not vertically. The earth's tectonic plates slid against each other, creating more of a vibration in the water.
In contrast, mega-thrust quakes cause the seabed to rise or drop vertically, displacing massive amounts of water.
The tremors were felt in neighboring Malaysia, where high-rise buildings shook, and Thailand, India and Bangladesh.
Those countries, Sri Lanka and the Maldives evacuated buildings and beaches and readied relief efforts in case of disaster.
Women and children cried in Aceh, where memories are still raw of a 2004 tsunami that killed 170,000 people in the province alone. Others screamed as they poured from their homes or searched frantically for separated family members.
Patients were wheeled out of hospitals, some still lying in their beds with drips attached to their arms.
At least one hotel guest was slightly injured when he jumped out of a window.
The US Geological Survey said the first 8.6-magnitude quake was a shallow 22 kilometers, hitting in the sea 435 kilometers from Aceh's provincial capital.
An alert that followed from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii advised countries all along the rim of the Indian Ocean, from Australia and India to as far off as Africa, that a seismically charged wave could head their way.
Two deadly tsunamis in the last decade - the most recent off Japan just a year ago - have left the world much better prepared.
Sirens sounded along coastlines and warnings spread like wildfire by text message. Though often chaotic, evacuations began immediately with streets clogged with traffic, especially in Aceh.
The only wave to hit, though, was less than 80 centimeters high, rolling to Indonesia's emptied coastline.
Just as the region was sighing relief, an 8.2-magnitude aftershock followed. Residents in Aceh could hardly believe it.
"What did we do to deserve this?" cried Aisyah Husaini, 47, who lost both her parents and a son in the 2004 tsunami. "What sins have we committed?"
"I'm so scared, I don't want to lose my family again," she said, clinging to her two children in a mosque in Banda Aceh, where hundreds of people sheltered.
Again, though, the threat quickly passed.
Experts said the quakes did not have the potential to create massive tsunamis because the friction and shaking occurred horizontally, not vertically. The earth's tectonic plates slid against each other, creating more of a vibration in the water.
In contrast, mega-thrust quakes cause the seabed to rise or drop vertically, displacing massive amounts of water.
The tremors were felt in neighboring Malaysia, where high-rise buildings shook, and Thailand, India and Bangladesh.
Those countries, Sri Lanka and the Maldives evacuated buildings and beaches and readied relief efforts in case of disaster.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
