Tsunami alert issued after strong Indonesian quake

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gCeFe6qrUA2J6TpqBUjMoyp8nthAD95FSPS80

Tsunami alert issued after strong Indonesian quake

10 minutes ago

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) ? Authorities and witnesses say a strong earthquake in eastern Indonesia has sent panicked residents running outside.

The country's meteorology and seismology agency warned that with a preliminary magnitude of 7.2 it was strong enough to cause a tsunami. There were no immediate reports of giant waves.

It struck at 2:43 p.m. EST, around 85 miles off of Manokwari, Irian Jaya, at a depth of about 6 miles.

Hasim Rumatiga, a local health official, said electricity went off and residents ran to higher ground.

Indonesia straddles a chain of faultlines and volcanoes known as the Pacific "Ring of Fire" and is prone to seismic activity.

A huge quake off western Indonesia caused the 2005 Asian tsunami that killed around 230,000 people.

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Tsunami alert issued after strong Indonesian quake

Indonesian authorities briefly issue tsunami alert after strong quake

By Associated Press

2:54 PM CST, January 3, 2009

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) ? A strong earthquake in remote eastern Indonesia cut power lines, cracked building walls and sent panicked residents running out of their homes toward higher ground Sunday, authorities and witnesses said.

The Indonesian Meteorology and Seismology Agency warned that with a preliminary magnitude of 7.2 it was strong enough to cause a tsunami. However, there were no immediate reports of giant waves and the warning was lifted within an hour.

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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-as-indonesia-earthquake,0,6306945.story