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Powerful earthquake hits India's Nicobar Islands, but causes no tsunami
A powerful earthquake hit India's Nicobar Islands and part of Indonesia, triggering panic in some areas and a tsunami warning in Thailand, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or destruction. The magnitude-7.2 earthquake late Sunday night was felt in several parts of the zone struck by the December 26 quake-spawned Indian Ocean tsunami, which killed more than 178,000 people in 11 countries and left nearly 50,000 more missing, with most presumed dead. Sunday night's quake jolted people from their sleep in Indonesia's Aceh province, and prompted residents of at least one coastal village in Sri Lanka to flee to a Buddhist temple on higher ground, fearing killer waves were on the way. But no tsunami came, and no injuries or damage were reported after Sunday's scare. The epicenter of the quake was near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands that lie between India and Thailand, said I.B.A. Rao, a duty officer in New Delhi's Meteorology Department. The quake also jolted southern India's Tamil Nadu state, where the December 26 tsunami killed more than 8,000 people. In India, officials quickly offered reassurance. "There is nothing to worry about," said India's Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal, dismissing the chance of another tsunami. He said there had been no significant rise in the sea level two hours after the quake. The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a bulletin saying "earthquakes of this size sometime generate local tsunami that can be destructive along coasts located within a few hundred kilometers (miles) of the epicenter." However, "authorities can assume the danger has passed if no tsunami waves are observed near the epicenter within an hour of the earthquake," the bulletin said. The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was measured at magnitude 7.2 and hit near the Nicobar Islands at 1542 GMT Sunday, with its epicenter 135 kilometers (81 miles) west of Misha, Nicobar Island. There was no immediate report of any damage in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, said Rana Mathew, a spokesman for the islands' administration. Near the islands, in Thailand _ a country also hit hard by the December 26 tragedy _ authorities issued a tsunami warning for the Indian Ocean. However, it was lifted within hours. Still, the was panic in some places. "There is no harm done. But some people are panicking in the Andaman Islands. The sea is very rough. Yesterday and today we have witnessed a high tide," said Rashid Yusuf, president of the Nicobarese Youth Association. In the Sri Lankan village of Peraliya _ where the December 26 tsunami swept a commuter train off its tracks, killing 2,000 people _ some residents fled to a Buddhist temple on high ground when first word came via the Internet that there had been an earthquake in Nicobar. There were few reports of fear or panic in other parts of Sri Lanka, where more than 32,000 people were killed on December 26. But some navy ships that had been in ports were moved out to sea to reduce any chance of damage from waves or sea surges. "We are taking all precautions in a situation like that and keeping the past in mind," said navy Commander J.K. Jayaratne. In Indonesia's Aceh province, where more than 131,000 people died on December 26, the earthquake jolted residents from their sleep and rattled their homes for about 10 seconds. Some stepped outside to check for damage, returning minutes later when none was found. "We also haven't received reports of injuries," said Waluyo, a seismologist in the capital, Jakarta, who like many Indonesians uses only one name.
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