3m wave crashes into Sumatra
2005-03-29 11:11
Banda Aceh - A 3m wave smashed into the Indonesian island of Simeulue, off the coast of Sumatra, causing extensive damage shortly after a massive earthquake, a military official said on Tuesday.
Endang Suwaraya, the military commander in the western Indonesian province of Aceh, close to the epicentre of the magnitude 8.7 quake, said he had received reports that the wharf in the island's main port was badly damaged.
He said waves also affected the island's airport in the coastal town of Sinabang.
There were no details of casualties.
According to an Aceh-based journalist who made contact with the island, the main hospital in Sinabang had been destroyed and could not be used. He said there were unconfirmed reports of 25 dead on the island.
Monday night's earthquake killed at least 300 people on the neighbouring island of Nias and triggered tsunami alerts around the Indian Ocean as people feared a repeat of the December 26 disaster in which more than 270 000 died.
- AFP