7.7-magnitude quake hit South Sumatra, tremors felt in Peninsula
2009/09/30
KUALA LUMPUR: A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia's south Sumatra at 6.16pm today, sending tremors across several areas in Peninsular Malaysia.
The Meteorological Department said the quake's epicentre was 60km southwest of Padang and 452km southwest of Melaka. It said it was monitoring the situation closely.
In the Klang Valley, people rushed out of building which were shaking from the tremors.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the quake was 7.9 on the Richter scale and that a tsunami alert had been issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.
AFP reported that the quake that struck off Indonesia’s Sumatra island today, destroyed large buildings and starting fires in the major city of Padang, geologists and reports said.
“A number of hotels in Padang have been destroyed,” Indonesian geophysics and meteorology agency tsunami warning head Rahmat Triyono said, adding the agency did not release a tsunami alert.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii however issued a tsunami watch for Indonesia, Malaysia, India and Thailand.
“Up to now we haven’t been able to reach Padang, communications have been cut,” Triyono said.
The quake struck at sea at 5:16 pm (1016 GMT) at a fairly deep 87 kilometres (54 miles), 53 kilometres northwest of Padang city in West Sumatra province, the United States Geological Survey said.
Local news channel Metro TV reported fires amid the wreckage in Padang, a city of 900,000, where panicked residents had run onto the streets as the quake hit.
There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries.
The quake was felt in the capital Jakarta 940 kilometres away.
Tsunami Wipes Out Villages in South Pacific
Disaster Highlights Challenge of Establishing Effective Warning Systems
By PATRICK BARTA
Victims of the tsunami that swept across the South Pacific had only minutes to escape the deadly waves and in some cases didn't receive alerts of danger, despite years of work to upgrade early-warning systems across the region.
At least 99 people were killed and dozens left missing by the tsunami, which inundated tourist resorts and local villages after a massive 8.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Samoa early Tuesday morning local time. Disaster authorities warned the death toll could rise significantly over the next few days as the full scale of the disaster – much of which occurred in remote areas – is assessed.
