A tsunami triggered by a massive undersea earthquake off the
coast of Indonesia smashed into coastal areas of the Indian Ocean
ring nations on Sunday, destroying villages, flooding cities and
killing more than 12,000 people.
The 8.9-magnitude quake, the most powerful one in four decades,
struck just before 8:00 AM local time off the west coast of the
Indonesian island of Sumatra, about 1,620 kilometers northwest of
Jakarta, according to the US Geological Survey. It was followed by
a series of powerful aftershocks.
The death toll is increasing as bodies continue to be washed
ashore, while thousands were reported missing. Tens of thousands
fled the coasts for higher ground, fearing aftershocks and further
flood surges.?
In Sri Lanka, one of the hardest-hit countries, the death toll
climbed to 4,500 and about 1 million people were displaced. The Sri
Lankan government declared a national disaster.
Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who was on a private
visit to Britain, will cut short her visit and to return to Sri
Lanka. She has called for international assistance in dealing with
the country's worst-ever humanitarian crisis.
In Indonesia, the health ministry said at least 4,185 people
were killed and hundreds more were missing.
Ministry officials said at least 3,000 of those killed, either
from flooding or quake damage, were in the provincial capital Banda
Aceh. About 100 were killed in neighboring north Sumatra Province
and on the island of Nias, to the west of Sumatra and close to the
epicenter of quake.
Some 50,000 people had fled their homes and taken refuge in
government offices or other buildings on higher ground while
hundreds were still unaccounted for.
?
?In India, officials put the death toll to 2,300 in the
southern states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Pondicherr as
waves swept away boats, homes and vehicles.
The death toll to is expected to rise as reports of missing
fishermen were pouring in from dozens of villages along the state's
1,000-kilometer-long coastline. Some 700 fishermen were reported
missing in Prakasam district alone
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha said 1,500 deaths have
been recorded in her state.
Around 50 kilometers from Chennai, Tamil Nadu's capital,
seawater seeped into the nuclear power plant at Kalpakkam, forcing
it to shut down. A special Indian Army unit was mobilized to deal
with the situation and the Crisis Management Group said the plant
was "fully safe."
?
This was one of the worst tragedies to hit India since the
January 2001 when an earthquake in Gujarat killed nearly
25,000.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh assured the states hit by
the disaster that they would receive relief and rehabilitation
assistance, and appealed to the people to remain calm.
In Thailand, government officials reported that 257 people have
been confirmed dead and more than 5,447 injured. Many more remain
missing in the country's southern resort islands, including an
unknown number of holidaymakers from abroad.
Rear Admiral Pheerasan Watcharamoon, deputy commander of the 2nd
Navy Division, said that the Navy had sent ships to pick up
tourists and local residents from Phi Phi and several other islands
in the vicinity. Nearly 4,000 people were stranded on Phi Phi.
?
In Malaysia, at least 42 people were killed on the resort island
of Penang, police and government officials said.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the US
state of Hawaii reportedly detected the tsunami more than an hour
before it hit Thailand or the other countries, but was unable to
alert warning centers in any of the areas in the killer wave's
path.
Tsunamis occur when a major earthquake causes a significant
shift in undersea tectonic plates. The vertical shift causes
displacement of the water above it, and waves are formed as the
displaced water attempts to regain its equilibrium.
The velocity of the tsunami is related to the depth of the
water: it may travel through the ocean at speeds of more than 800
kilometers per hour, but at a height of only a few centimeters. As
the same tsunami enters the shallow coastal areas and slows, it can
reach heights of up to 45 meters.
Sunday's tsunami was reported to rise to heights of about 10
meters.
(Xinhua News Agency December 27, 2004)
