Monday, December 27, 2004

Earthquake hits Indonesia, tremors in Malaysia, Singapore, Bangkok

News update by the Star's Susan Tam

PETALING JAYA: A massive earthquake hit the Aceh area Sunday and tremors were reported as far away as Malaysia, Singapore and Bangkok.

Residents of several highrise buildings in the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia were evacuated at around 9am (0100gmt) Sunday due to tremors following a strong earthquake off the west coast of Sumatra.

Highrise apartment and hotel residents in Penang and the Klang Valley were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Residents of Danau Impian Condominium in Taman Desa, Jalan Klang Lama gathering on the ground floor while waiting for Fire and Rescue Department and City Hall to inspect the building structure following a minor tremor on Sunday.-STARpic

Tremors were also felt in Alor Star and Pangkor.

A Meteorological Services Department official confirmed the incident.

An online update on the website of the Meteorological Services Division of Singapore National Environment Agency said the tremor was also felt in the republic.

It said the earthquake measured 8.1 on the Richter Scale.

Its epicentre was located off the coast of western Sumatra at latitude 3.4 north and 9.5 east.

The AP meanwhile reported from Jakarta:

A massive earthquake on Sunday rocked the northwestern part of Indonesia's Sumatra Island, causing dozens of buildings to collapse and triggering large waves along the northern coast, witnesses and officials said.

Nine people were killed as a result of the quake on the island's northwestern province of Aceh, where most of the damage was reported, el-Shinta radio station quoted a witness as saying.

It was not possible to immediately confirm the report. Electricity and telephone networks in parts of the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, were knocked out.

The quake was also felt in neighbouring Thailand and Malaysia.

The U.S. Geological Survey's Web site recorded a magnitude 8.1 earthquake off the west coast of Northern Sumatra, 1,620 kilometers (1,000 miles) northwest of Jakarta.

It was centered 40 kilometers (25 miles) below the seabed, the Web site reported.

A local seismologist put the quake at 6.4.

The cause of the discrepancy between the two figures was not clear.

Residents in the towns of Lhokseumawe and Banda Aceh in the northwestern province of Aceh reported large waves had hit coastal regions.

An Associated Press reporter in Lhokseumawe several houses had been damaged.

At least one had been swept away, he said.

In the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, dozens of shops and buildings collapsed, witnesses el-Shinta.

"The ground was shaking for a long time,'' Yayan Zamzani told the station.

"It must be the strongest earthquake in the last 15 years.''

Indonesia, a country of 17,000 islands, is prone to seismic upheaval because of its location on the margins of tectonic plates that make up the so-called the "Ring of Fire'' around the Pacific Ocean basin.

If you have any real-life experience to share on this earthquake, please mail to newsdesk@thestar.com.my

Earlier updates here

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