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No tsunami threat from Indonesian earthquake: MET Office

Mariyam Malsa
15 November 2019, MVT 16:21
The epicentre of the earthquake that struck off the Indonesian coast of in the Molucca Sea.
Mariyam Malsa
15 November 2019, MVT 16:21

Maldives Meteorological Service (MET) assured that Maldives would not be affected by the tsunami warnings issued in Indonesia following an earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter Scale.

The earthquake struck off the Indonesian coast in the Molucca Sea during the late hours of Thursday. The country's authorities have not issued reports on casualties and injuries.

Although Indonesia's Meteorology, Climate and Geophysics Agency issued a tsunami warning, the alert noted that wave height was estimated to reach only about 20 inches. The alert was lifted following a two-hour period.

While the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also stated that hazardous tsunami waves were possible within 300 kilometres of the epicentre, no tsunami risk was announced for more distant areas.

As per the MET Office, the earthquake occurred 5875 kilometres away from the capital city of Male'.

The 9.1-magnitude "megathrust" earthquake that struck Indonesia on December 26, 2014, resulted in 170,000 deaths in the country alone. The disaster killed about 50,000 people in other countries around the Indian Ocean, bringing total deaths to about 220,000.

The tsunami caused wide-ranging damages to 190 of the then 199 inhabited islands in Maldives, leaving five uninhabitable. A total of 82 deaths are recorded while 26 people went missing and more than 15,000 displaced individuals had to be housed in temporary shelters.

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