New Delhi,April 11, 2012 : A tsunami of between three to six metres is expected to hit the Nicobar Islands after an earthquake, measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale hit Indonesia. A tsunami alert -which is less serious than a warning - has also been issued for the Eastern coast of India, the Andaman Islands, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said an Indian Ocean wide tsunami alert was in effect.
The quake was felt in Singapore, Thailand and India. High-rise apartments and offices on Malaysia’s west coast shook for at least a minute.
In India, tremors were reported in Mumbai, Kolkata, and the southern part of Chennai. The tremors lasted for a few seconds. In Bhubaneshwar, people were seen running out of their homes and offices. No damage has been reported so far.
NDTV viewer AG Kalidass emailed from Bangalore to say, "We were feeling our building shaking." Another viewer Shyam Agarwal writes, "I am from Kolkata. Just now a few minutes back heavy stroke of earthquake has been observed here."
The U.S. Geological Survey said the powerful quake was centered 20 miles (33 kilometers) beneath the ocean floor around 308 miles (495 kilometers) from Aceh’s provincial capital.
Indonesia straddles a series of fault lines that makes the vast island nation prone to volcanic and seismic activity.
A giant 9.1-magnitude quake off the country on Dec. 26, 2004, triggered a tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed 230,000 people, nearly three quarter of them in Aceh.
Courtesy : NDTV