Japan to probe quake origin

2005-02-04 14:23

Tokyo - A Japanese research ship left for waters off Sumatra on Wednesday to get a first-hand look at the focus of the most powerful earthquake in 40 years which triggered the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster.

The 1 739-ton Natsushima ship of the state-supported Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology departed from a port in the southern prefecture of Kagoshima.

"We aim to get hold of the direct cause of the quake, probing a seabed fault if it is visible, or undersea strata," a spokesman for the agency said.

Their main weapon to examine the geological effects of the tragedy is an unmanned, remote-controlled vehicle called the "Hyper Dolphin", mounted with ultra-sensitive, high-definition cameras.

The ship will conduct a two-week survey in February and return for 10 days of research in March, the spokesperson said.

The research is funded by Japan's science and technology ministry, to which the findings will be submitted.

"We are also considering reporting them to the Indonesian government soon after the research if they request," the spokesman said.

The December 26 earthquake which registered 9.0 on the Richter scale unleashed massive waves across the Indian Ocean, killing more than 290 000 people on the coasts of 11 countries with bodies still being recovered five weeks later.

- AFP