Earthquake in Sumatra

Ok, this is the latest news that out (though i'm late). Read it at http://news.asiaone.com/a1news/20070306_story8_2.html

Quake in Sumatra island causes panic, damage and tremors in many parts of Singapore and Malaysia

Meteorology stations say it meaures a magnitude of between 6.3 and 6.6 but there are no threats of tsunami

By Irene Ngoo Mar 06, 2007 AsiaOne

A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.3 shook Indonesia's Sumatra island on Tuesday and was felt in many parts of Singapore and Malaysia as well, causing the evacuation of several buildings over 400 km away.

Latest reports just in from Jakarta said at least four people were killed in the earthquake.
In the West Sumatra provincial capital of Padang, the quake sparked panic among seaside residents who feared it might trigger a tsunami.

However, there was no immediate warning of a tsunami from the quake, which had an epicentre under land.

The Indonesian archipelago sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire where continental plates meet, causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

The United States Geological Survey put its strength at 6.3 and said its epicentre was around 420 km from Singapore. The Indonesian national quake centre measured the quake at 5.8 on the Richter scale.

In Singapore, the magnitude was measured at 6.6 by the Meteorological Service here but an official said there is no threat of tsunami. A lecturer at the National University of Singapore's Geography Department said after shocks are expected.

Many tall buildings in Singapore's business district swayed slightly, said office workers, who were evacuated. Traders reported little or no impact on the financial markets trading.
Mr Ronnie Lim, Energy Editor of The Business Times, thought he was having a "heart attack" when the tremors caused him to lurch over his computer twice.

Ms Amy, who works in Toa Payoh Central, told AsiaOne: “I felt the tremors on the eight floor of my office at about 11.53am, and it lasted for over two seconds. Some of the people around me thought someone had kicked their chairs.”

IT manager Stanley See, whose office is on the eighth floor in Toa Payoh North, said his entire department felt the tremors and the staff of about 50 all decided to "get out and gor for an early lunch as a precaution."

“I felt giddy, as though someone was shaking my table and chair,” Mr See said.
Mr Francis Ho emailed AsiaOne to say that tremors were also felt at Marine Parade, and rattled staff and students from an education centre in Parkway Centre rushed out of their classrooms. .
One of the teachers also noticed a crack on the top story staircase, Mr Ho added.

Ms Michelle Chua, a test consultant of Tescom Singapore, send this email to AsiaOne: "Our office in Suntec City also felt the shaking and we are on the 19th floor.

"All the offices in Suntec evacuatd their staff and told them to go for early lunch. The tremors lasted for a few minutes. We returned to the office at 1 pm after the situation seemed to return to normal."

Students of St Andrew's Junior College in Potong Pasir and Ngee Ann Polytechnic on Clementi Road were also evacuated and asked to get into the open areas until the school authorities gave the all-clear sign for them to return to the classroom.

Wire reports said the earthquake caused panic on Sumatra island, as people fled buildings and houses were damaged in Solok, south of Bukit Tinggi.

"It was really strong. I panicked, I ran out of the house just like the other neighbours," housewife Asmiarti, whose home is on the northern Padang shore, told Reuters by phone.

"When we got out, our bodies were still shaking and the trees were also shaking. We fear there would be a tsunami but there has been no announcement so far," she said.

Padang is one of the few Indonesian cities where a tsunami warning system is in place.
A Reuters witness said residents tried to reach higher places and their vehicles crowded main streets in Padang, triggering congested traffic across the city.

Callers told a Jakarta-based radio station that residents in several West Sumatra towns ran out of their houses when the quake was first felt, including some who said the quake knocked off roof tiles.

In Malaysia's southern coastal city of Johor, citizens fled offices, buildings and shopping centers, eyewitnesses said.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanos and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

In December 2004, a massive earthquake struck off Indonesia's Sumatra island and triggered a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people, including 131,000 people in Indonesia's Aceh province alone. A tsunami off Java island last year killed nearly 5,000.

Reports by Adrian Tay, Eng Chee Koon & Raymond Poon