On foot, in cars and on motorcycles, thousands of panicking residents in Indonesia’s Aceh fled for high ground on Monday after a powerful earthquake provoked fears of a new tsunami catastrophe.
The underwater earthquake, measuring more than eight on the Richter scale, left at least two people dead.
Warnings of a possible tsunami were issued after the earthquake struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra, officials said.
The tsunami following an earthquake on December 26 in the same region left more than 273 000 dead throughout the Indian Ocean region, from southern Asia to East Africa.
With the trauma of the December 26 disaster still fresh in their minds, people took no chances, ignoring pleas for calm in their race for safety.
“When the earthquake happened, I rode my motorcycle to the airport because I was very afraid the tsunami would hit again,” said university student Heri, who said he witnessed a car crash as the roads became choked with fleeing vehicles.
The airport outside the main city of Banda Aceh was a major rallying point for survivors after last year’s disaster and once again thronged with people following the quake, which struck at shortly before 11.15pm on Monday night.
Others tried to reach nearby hills as the screams of children echoed through streets that were temporarily plunged into darkness by a power outage.
“It was a very damn big quake. Thousands fled their homes in Banda Aceh. The streets are full of people, kids are crying and everyone was heading for higher ground,” said Paul Dillon, an Aceh-based spokesperson with the International Organisation for Migration.
Hundreds of houses destroyed
An official on the island of Nias, south of Sumatra and close to the epicentre, said hundreds of houses were destroyed in the island’s capital, Gumung Sitoli.
Many were left trapped under rubble.
“I can say that tens of people died but I cannot be sure,” Agus Mendrofa, the deputy chief of Nias island, told Jakarta’s Metro TV station.
“The roads are broken and public facilities were damaged,” he said, adding that there were several aftershocks following the main quake.
Sergeant Damanik of Nias police said at least two people had been confirmed dead and there could be further fatalities, but a power outage was hampering efforts to determine the number of people affected.
“There’s damage but it’s not clear because it’s dark and electricity is out,” he said by telephone.
‘I put everything I own on the roof’
One man in Peurada village, in Sumatra’s western Aceh province, was searching for his relatives on a motorcycle.
“I’m trying to find my family, they are all women, they were very scared and ran out of the house,” he said. “I have put everything I own on the roof.”
Rabhiah, a 20-year-old university student, said she ran with other students to a mosque — trusting in the sturdily built structure that was among the few buildings to survive last year’s destruction.
She said they intended to remain in the mosque until she was sure of her safety.
“I am very afraid, when the earthquake happened I was reading a book and then I ran out of the house. My friends and I all ran to the university mosque.
“In the mosque we prayed to God to save our lives, and for now we’re staying put,” she said.
But it soon became clear there was no danger in Banda Aceh from the quake, with reports of fatalities and collapsed buildings limited to the small island of Nias, off the southern coast of Sumatra.
As the panic subsided in Aceh, police and officials took to the streets using loud hailers to urge people to return to their homes.
“There is no tsunami, everything is normal, please go home,” said one police officer.
Mosques in the area joined, broadcasting appeals for calm, but many stayed on the streets.
Tsunami alert in Madagascar, Mauritius
Warnings of a possible tsunami were also issued in Madagascar and the island of Mauritius after the earthquake, officials said.
In Madagascar, weather and rescue services issued alerts for the entire east of the country, officials said. The director of the national meteorological service, Alain Razafimahazo, said he would go on national radio and TV to warn the population.
The tsunami at the end of last year did not claim any victims in Madagascar, which escaped any serious damage from the disaster. It did cause damage in Mauritius, Seychelles and the French island territory of Réunion.
On Mauritius, the national weather service said it sent out tsunami alerts to the coastal regions as well as the islands of Rodrigues and Agalega.
Rajesh Bhagwan, the Mauritian environment minister, said the population was asked “to take all precautions”, even though the epicentre of the quake was 4 000km away and the risk of a tsunami was limited to 1 000km from the epicentre.
The Mauritian meteorological services said there was a risk of higher than normal waves between 1am and 4am local time.
“The public is advised not to venture along beaches and coastal areas around the warning times,” the services said.
‘100%’ chance of tsunami
There is a “100%” chance of a tsunami threatening Indian Ocean nations following the quake, a United States seismologist said on Monday.
“My personal view is that a tsunami has a 100% chance of happening,” US Geological Survey earthquake expert Kerry Sieh told journalists in Los Angeles.
The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre called for “immediate action” against a tidal wave following the quake, which it estimated at 8,5 on the Richter scale. The US Geological Survey, one of the global leaders in earthquake monitoring, said it was 8,2 on the Richter scale.
The epicentre of the new quake was about 205km west of Sibolga on Sumatra and 245km south-west of the Sumatra city of Medan.
An earthquake measuring more than eight on the Richter scale is strong enough to cause massive damage and loss of life. — AFP