APCEDI ALERT EQ-SSEA #1, 2004: Series of Earthquakes and Tsunamis Devastate Wide Area of South and Southeast Asia

A series of powerful earthquakes, noted below, have occurred along the boundary of the Australian and Eurasian Plates from Northern Sumatra in the south to the North Andaman Islands in the north.

2004/12/26  04:21:26
6.90N, 92.95E
10.0, 7.3
NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA REGION

2004/12/26  03:08:42
13.81N, 92.97E
10.0, 6.1
ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION

2004/12/26  02:59:12
3.18N, 94.26E
10.0, 5.9
OFF W COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA

2004/12/26  02:51:59
12.51N, 92.59E
10.0, 6.0
ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION

2004/12/26  02:36:06
12.14N, 93.01E
10.0, 5.8
ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION

2004/12/26  02:34:50
4.10N, 94.18E
10.0, 5.8
OFF W COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA

2004/12/26  02:22:01
8.86N, 92.50E
10.0, 6.0
NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA REGION

2004/12/26  02:15:57
12.37N, 92.51E
10.0, 5.8
ANDAMAN ISLANDS, INDIA REGION

2004/12/26  01:48:46
5.39N, 94.42E
10.0, 5.9
NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA

2004/12/26  00:58:50
3.30N, 95.78E
10.0, 8.5
OFF W COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA

Deaths and Severe Damage from the quakes and large resultant tsunamis are now being reported from main media centres like the BBC and CNN from a wide areas including the following:

Sumatra and off shore islands (50-120 dead, Catastrophic Damage)

Nicobar Islands (India) (all communitcaions out, deaths, severe to catastrophic damage throughout)

Andaman Islands (India)(all communications out, deaths, severe to catastrophic damage throughout)

Malaysia, Penang and Northwest Coast; (5-10 deaths; Moderate Damage with pockets of Major Damage)

Thailand, Phuket and along the west coast ( 5-20 deaths; Moderate Damage with pockets of Major Damage)

Burma, Tenassarim Peninsula (Deaths, Major Damage);

Bangladesh (Deaths, Moderate Damage with pockets of Major Damage)

Sri Lanka, East Coast especially around Trincomalee( 150-300 deaths; major damage with pockets of catastrophic damage);

India, Tamil Nadu and Southern Andhra Pradesh including the Pondicherry enclaves (50-200 deaths; 400 missing; major damage with pockets of catastrophic damage);

Maldives (all communications out, catastrophic damage throughout)

These figures are all speculative at the moment, but an overall high death toll can be expected.

Technical information on the quakes can be found at:
http://wwwneic.cr.usgs.gov/neis/bulletin/bulletin.html

News on this major event is now dominating all news outlets on television, shortwave and internet.

APCEDI will continue to monitor this major situation. However, due the global scope of this disaster, major international attention will be on this situation, and people should stay posted to international and local media for updates.

Kevin Vang
APCEDI Coordinator
http://www.afap.org/apcedi/