by Erich 81 Replies latest social current
An extrem strong earthquake happened recently in the Indian Ocean near Island of Sumatra. Level 8,5 - 8,9. No contact to many islands and coasts anymore. No phone to the Maledives and other touristic islands possible. Thousands of dead people. Hugh tsunamis and mavericks around thousands of miles..
E.
This says nine people are dead.
650 feared dead after quake, tsunami hits southern Asia 7:47 PM December 26 A huge earthquake has hit southern Asia, setting off a tsunami that drowned hundreds in Sri Lanka and India, sent Indonesians rushing to high ground and washed away bathers on the Thai tourist island of Phuket.The earthquake of magnitude 8.9 as measured by the US Geological Survey first struck at 7:59am local time off the coast of the northern Indonesian island of Sumatra and swung north with multiple tremors into the Andaman islands in the Indian Ocean.
The US Geological Survey says it is the fifth biggest earthquake since 1900.
A wall of water up to 10 metres high set off by the tremor swept into Indonesia, over the coast of Sri Lanka and India and along the southern Thai tourist island of Phuket, leaving at least 650 people feared dead, officials said.
The earthquake was the world's biggest since 1965, said Julie Martinez, geophysicist for the US Geological Survey.
"It is multiple earthquakes along the same faultline," she said. Sri Lanka
The worst-hit area appeared to be the tourist region of Sri Lanka's south and east and the chairman of the John Keells hotel chain said five of his hotels had been badly flooded.
At least 500 were feared dead in Sri Lanka, the National Disaster Management Centre said.
"According to the information we have so far, 500 people have been killed and the death toll is going to be high - it will likely be over 1,000," said N D Hettiarachchi, director of the centre.
The country's president has declared a national disaster.
"The Army and the Navy have sent rescue teams, we have deployed over four choppers and half the Navy's eastern fleet to look for survivors," said military spokesman Brigadier Daya Ratnayake.
An official in eastern Trincomalee said 3,000 people had been displaced and six villages destroyed. Thailand
In Phuket at least one person was killed, four were missing and 100 injured when the wave, 5 to 10 metres high, crashed onto beaches lined with luxury hotels at the peak of the tourist season.
"Nothing like this has ever happened in our country before," said Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
"There was a very large ocean wave after the earthquake and about 100 people were injured," Suparerk Tansriratanawong, director general of Thailand's Meteorological Department, told Reuters.
More than 10 people were killed and 100 injured or missing in the southern Thai province of Phang Nga.
The Prime Minister called for the evacuation of areas hit by a tsunami wave in three southern provinces, including Phuket.
"I have ordered that rescue officials move people out of the risk area," Mr Thaksin told reporters.
Officials now say 84 are dead and 400 wounded in southern Thailand.
The Australian Embassy in Bangkok says there are no reports of any Australians dead or missing in Phuket.India
Along the southern Indian coast, as many as 74 people were killed and many injured by a tsunami there, hospital and government officials said.
Officials said 400 fishermen were missing in the south.
"Thirty-four are dead and 14 are admitted in hospital," said an official at the Government Royapettah Hospital in Chennai, formerly known as Madras and the capital of Tamil Nadu state.
Dozens more were dead in Prakasam district in southern Andhra Pradesh and in Machalipatnam district, taking the total death toll in the state to 40, officials said.
Two people died and some 100 people were hurt in the capital of India's Andaman islands when tidal waves hit, the state's chief secretary said. Maldives
The wave swept into the low-lying Maldive islands whose coral atolls are a magnet for tourists, flooding two-thirds of the capital Male, said chief government spokesman Dr Ahmed Shaheed.
"The damage is considerable. The island is only about three feet above sea level and a wave of water four feet high swept over us," he said.
"It is a very bad situation. It is terrible," he said.
"We have no communications with some of the outlying atolls. At this stage we fear the worst. We are trying to send boats to assess the damage, but our resources are stretched to the limit."
The world's worst tsunami in recent history struck on July 17, 1998, when three tsunamis ripped through Papua New Guinea's northwest coast, killing 2,500. Indonesia
As many as 72 people were killed and 79 injured on in Indonesia's Aceh province on northern Sumatra island, local government and hospital officials said.
Mustofa Gelanggang, the head of Aceh's northern Bireuen district, said 49 bodies had been recovered along the region's northern coastline after tidal waves triggered by the quake swallowed entire villages.
Sadli, a paramedic at the Cut Mutia hospital in the town of Lhokseumawe told Metro TV that a total of 23 bodies had been recieved there while 79 people were being treated for injury and trauma.
"They were mostly drowned by the waves," Bireuen regency mayor Mustofa said by telephone, adding that hundreds of houses had been swept away.
Indonesia's geophysics and meteorology office put the epicentre of the earthquake at 149 km off the southern coast of the island and said the earthquake measured 6.8 on the open-ended Richter scale.
"There was no warning and suddenly the sea water just hit the city," said Bustami, a resident of the Aceh coastal town of Lhokseumawe. "In some parts the water was up to a chest level.
"People are quite panicked now, some of us are walking by foot and others are on military trucks going to higher ground."
Residents said waves as high as five metres struck the northern coast, killing at least nine, causing widespread damage and sending thousands fleeing in panic.
Residents said buildings collapsed and people fled their houses.
Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,000 islands, lies along the Pacific ring of fire where plate boundaries intersect and volcanoes regularly erupt.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is checking on the welfare of Australians in the region.
Concerned relatives can call DFAT's 24-hour consular emergency hotline on 1300 555 135.
-ReutersSource: Reuters
I'm rubbish at Geography, did this happen anywhere near the Island of Guam?
Sirona
Sirona:
Ah-hem............No!
Ozzie
Thanks,
I did just check the world maps.
Sirona
Sirona:
as a rule of thumb, Guam is straight up from the land downunder. The disaster is happening due NW, but much closer to us. It's our neighbours who've been shattered so australia is vitally concerned.
Cheers, Ozzie
Of course, the dubbies are going to spin this as another example of the sign.
What a tragedy.
Attention to all people in California etc.
Earthquakes have a peculiar attribute: They appear on different point of the planet within very SHORT times. Nobody knows why; but its a proven fact.
At Dec. 22 this week (on Wednesday) a very strong earthquake appered in the Antarctic region (8,2 on Richter scale). If you are not aware of, look at:
http://www.teamamberalert.net/news/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=6116
4 days later, the hugh earthquake hits the south east asian region. Magnitude 8,9 on Richter scale.
Which region could be the next?
All you people in California, be careful, and keep on watching..
E.
Appalling tragedy , the scale of which is still unfolding. I only hope that the rest of the world will mobilize relief a s a p to help the victims, especially those in poorer countries.
Re "signs of the times" I think this last Awake reference was back pedalling of their former stance . What do you think. (I will not attempt to try to put it into quote boxes)
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g02 3/22 p. 9 Earthquakes, Bible Prophecy, and You ***Earthquakes,
Bible Prophecy, and YouBEFORE his death, Jesus foretold events and situations that would give evidence that this world had entered "the conclusion of the system of things." That period, he said, would be marked by such things as pestilences, food shortages, and large-scale warfare. He also mentioned "great earthquakes" that would occur "in one place after another." (Matthew 24:3, 7; Luke 21:10, 11) Was Jesus referring to our day?
Many say no. They assert that the number of earthquakes has not substantially increased in recent decades. In fact, the U.S. National Earthquake Information Center reports that earthquakes of 7.0 magnitude and greater remained "fairly constant" throughout the 20th century.
Note, though, that the fulfillment of Jesus? prophecy does not require an increase in the number or power of earthquakes. All Jesus said was that there would be great earthquakes in one place after another. Furthermore, he stated that these events would mark the "beginning of pangs of distress." (Matthew 24:8) Distress is measured, not by the number of earthquakes or how they rate on the Richter scale, but by the effect that they have upon people.
Earthquakes have indeed caused much distress in our day. In fact, during the 20th century, millions have been killed or left homeless by these disasters. Experts say that many of these deaths could have been prevented. "In developing countries," reports BBC News, "building regulations frequently take second place to the demands for cheap, quickly built housing to meet the needs of rapid urbanisation." Commenting on two recent tragedies, Ben Wisner, an expert in urban disasters, states: "It wasn?t earthquakes that killed these people. It was a combination of human error, indifference, corruption, and greed."
Yes, sometimes the deadliest factors in an earthquake are human selfishness and negligence. Interestingly, such qualities come to the fore in another Bible prophecy concerning "the last days" of this system. During that time, the Bible states, people would be "self-centered, lovers of money," and "callous." (2 Timothy 3:1-5, The Amplified Bible) Along with Jesus? words regarding the conclusion of the system of things, this prophecy provides clear evidence that we are nearing the time when God will bring relief to distressed humanity from all present causes of pain and suffering?including great earthquakes.?Psalm 37:11.
Would you like to learn more about this Bible-based hope? Contact Jehovah?s Witnesses in your area, or write to the appropriate address on page 5.
[Footnote]
Some say that any reports of an increase in the number of earthquakes are simply due to advances in technology, which enable more seismic events to be detected
