Officials on high alert after tsunami warning

With the countries across the Indian Ocean belt in a tsunami scare following the Indonesian earthquake measuring 8.9 in the richter scale at Banda Aceh. Officials and the respective governments are turning no stone unturned to reduce casualties and damages.

In spite of Indonesian President stating in a press conference that “no tsunami threat although we are on alert", the officials in the Nicobar islands have instructed ships anchored in the sea to move to the High seas. The IMD Director has claimed that the Indonesian quake was one of the biggest.

Among the other safety precautions include shutting off the Chennai port, the halting of the Kolkata metro and evacuation of the beaches in Hyderabad. Coastal regions have been put on high alert. Tamil Nadu DGP has asked people to stay away from beaches and coastal regions.

In Indonesia itself, people have started evacuating high rises and asked to move to high ground. There has, however, been no reports yet on damages incurred. Bruce Pressgrave of the US Geological Survey has been quoted as saying to the BBC that a tsunami would be generated since this type of earthquake does not generate a column of water that could cause a tsunami. He added, “There’s always a hazard but with this kind of quake it reduces the risk of a tsunami.”

The CNN has reported that a tsunami is expected to strike the Andaman and Nicobar islands around 4:20 PM (IST).

PTI