ASIA: INDONESIA: TSUNAMI KILLS 108 AND HUNDREDS MISSING


ASIA NEWS REPORT: A tsunami caused by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake. Overnight a three-meter high wave crashed into the coast of the Mentawai archipelago and flooded hundreds of homes flinging ships and boats over 200 meters from the shore. Death toll continues to rise.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) - A strong tsunami with waves over three meters high waves struck the Mentawai archipelago (West Sumatra) overnight. Currently there are 108 dead and 502 missing, including 10 Australian surfers, but the toll is expected to grow.
Local sources tell AsiaNews, more than 200 homes are under water in two villages in the subdistrict Pagai Selatan. Several ships carrying Australian tourists docked in the port were thrown up to 200 meters from the coast.
The tsunami was caused by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake that occurred yesterday in the Mentawai archipelago which is a 13-hour ferry ride from the district capital of Padang.
The epicentre was located about 20 km off the coast of Sumatra and hit major cities along the coast of Padang and Bengkulu.
After the earthquake, thousands of people fled their homes to reach the higher ground. The tsunami warning was at first revoked by the authorities. In Padang, the loudspeakers of mosques also issued a warning to the population.
According to researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) this is the most devastating tsunami in the last two years. Indonesia is located on what is called the “Pacific ring of fire", which is characterized by high volcanic and seismic activity. On 30 October 2009, another strong earthquake struck the area causing approximately 700 deaths of Padang. Over 180 houses were razed. Even more devastating, the tsunami on 26 December 2004 which caused more than 600 deaths and destroyed tens of thousands of homes on the island of Sumatra.

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