No reports of tsunami received following quake

THERE have been no reports of a tsunami in the Indian Ocean this morning, following a major earthquake that hit the coast of Sumatra last night. Last night’s earthquake, measuring 8,7 on the Richter Scale by the US Geological Survey, occurred at approximately 11:10 local time (early evening SA time) on the same faultline as the December 26 tsunami disaster. Earlier in the evening, seismologist David Booth said: "There is a high probability of a tsunami occurring, but because the earthquake is of such a shallow depth and is offshore, it would be on a much smaller scale than the Boxing Day disaster." UN relief coordinator, Jan Egeland, said at a UN news conference in New York, that the agency expected that if a tsunami was to occur it would be in low-lying southern Indian Ocean islands, and he highlighted Mauritius as being at risk. According to international news agencies, many of the countries affected by the December tsunami, including Thailand, evacuated coastal areas immediately after the quake occurred. Most of these went on to downgrade warnings in the early hours of the morning (local time). “This is another example of panic spreading. The earthquake is a deep concern for an already mentally scarred population and it will cast a shadow over reconstruction and rebuilding efforts in the region,” said Egeland. (Lucy Siebert)