HUGE EARHQUAKE/ TIDELWAVES
 

have hit samatra in indonesia and have sent tidlewaves into thailand (Phuket) and sri lanka.. many tourist said too have been swept away..

this happened about 5 hours ago. I recently woke up and checked CNN.. one of the reportes in bangkok said that he felt his buildingn sway in the city..

Oddly enough I have yet too see any thai tv stations covering the story..

Orgy-CNN is reporting it is the strongest earthquake to hit "the planet" in nearly 40 years-8.5, which struck off the coast of Sumatra, in Indonesia. At this time, 4 tourists in Phuket, nationality unknown, are reported as killed by the quake, but many more are feared dead in Thailand, as Thai reports of a "wall of water" bearing down on Phuket were seen. Wow.

CNN inernational

Hhucket 14 swept away 100's missing
laguna beach quoted by someone as "completely gone"

Sri lanka has about 500 dead

Indonesia 70 dead

INDIa 100 dead

Maldives 2/3 of capital city flooded.


this is all new news and still sketchy
and much of what I quickly posted will be proven wrong..

stangly indonesia geologist say it was just 6.5 while amercans say 8.5

Some 158 people died in popular southern Thailand resorts, the Narenthorn Center of the Public Health Ministry reported. The center said people were swept away in Phuket by a tsunami with 16-foot waves.

More than 1,900 were injured and many others were missing.

Waves reported to be up to 30 feet high crashed into beaches, where thousands of tourists were lazing on the country's renowned white sand beaches when the earthquake struck. Hundreds of bungalows, boats and cars were carried out to sea

Wow, what horrible news!

I wonder how much time there was between the actual initial earthquake and the tidal waves? Seconds? A couple minutes?

One of the aftershocks, alone, is said to have read a 7.3 magnitude, which is larger than anything I have ever felt in Southern California in my 33 years here.

This was said to be the largest quake in the world in the last 40 years.

I wonder if any cruise ships were around, and if so, how they were affected (especially if in port).

This is horrible. Our thoughts are with people and their families effected.

From ABC News:

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=360147

The hardest hit country, Sri Lanka, is 1,000 miles west of the epicenter. If that is the damage from 1,000 miles away, it is hard to fathom the damage that would have been done had the earthquake been closer to these areas.

What makes this all especially scary is that the areas affected are major tourist destinations (Sri Lanka seems to be growing in popularity, Phuket is very popular and Madras, India seems generally popular amongst tourists, as well).

102 confirmed deaths come from Pondicherry, India, possibly known to some as the birthplace of Pi(scine) Patel, the fictional character from the excellent book, Life Of Pi.

Latest news as reported by Thai Tv - over 200 dead and some tv station are reporting over 400 dead. Several are still missing, including a dive group of between 40 - 100 divers who are mostly tourist.

Phi Phi was hardest hit with several casualties there and I've been told the Dusit, Sheraton and Banyan Tree hotels suffers heavy damage.

All the information that I've posted here are not confirm but are what I'm hearing from news and friends. The strange thing is that the Tsunami only lasted 15 - 20 minutes.

Someone was asking how long it took the Tsunami to reach Phuket - earthquake was at 7.58 am and the waves hit Phuket at around 10 am.

The Phuket's Laguna Beach resort is gone, the tourists with it. I looked up their website on one ocassion and it was one gorgeous place. Horrifying.

I just heard on the PR, at least 5600 people are dead.
What a holiday in those countries and we worry about so many insignificant things.

Our prayers most certainly go out to our wonderful friends in Thailand. We have spent so many lovely hours and days on Phuket and Phi Phi. May the search and recovery efforts go well.
Carol

I would think that if Phuket and Phi Phi were hit that other areas must have been impacted as well. I haven't heard of reports from other areas but I expect them to come soon. We are going to Railay and Koh Lanta in February and it shocks us that something unforeseen like this could happen.

We hope that the tolls don't continue to rise but I would expect they will.

CNN just reported that 200 are confirmed dead on Phi Phi (so far). They showed footage of Phuket but didn't give any numbers of deaths/injuries there. Phuket airport is open, they report, and a transport plane will be carrying people out.

One English tourist at Phuket reported into CNN that at 0600 (he might have gotten that wrong if the quake hit at 0758 - maybe meant 0900... he was on beach in ankle deep water and all of a sudden the water was up to his chest. He was off the beach in a hot flash, as were others and as far back onto the hotel property (into buildings), when the tsunami hit full force. Apparently, those who left the beach with him were okay (he was calling in this report), but had no idea of other damage or lost people. This call came into CNN at about 0800 this morning Sunday 12/26.

Most of the damage - Sri Lanka, Phuket, Phi Phi, India was due to the fact that there was nothing between Sumatra (epicenter) - just plain open sea - and these areas, whereas if there had been landmasses (other islands) the damage might have been lessened! Who knows when Mother Nature wants to have her way! This is terrible.

Not to show any less compassion to the human tragedy, but I see that Laguna Beach in Phuket also has resident elephants. I would imagine that they fared no better than the human residents/visitors at the resort.

http://www.lagunabeach-resort.com/elephant.htm

So many people people on this board wrote about going to Thailand this Christmas. If you can get to an internet computer, please let us know you are OK. We worry about our Fodorites!

It has been a long time since I visited the forum but wanted to check in because of the news on CNN. So many people here helped contribute to the success of our trip in February that I hope none of them or their families are in peril. And of course it's just awful for the Thai families that live in the affected areas.

I have not visited this site since our return from Phuket and the rest of Thailand last March.I know that there are residents of Phuket that helped us plan the trip and I pray for their safety. Please communicate with us. For up to date info, go to www.phuketgazette.com. It is amazing that the newspaper is still running.

Woke up to the news that over 7,000 people are dead in SE Asia due to the natural disaster that has struck. Horrible, horrible. In Phuket, of all places! Who would have thought.

I wonder which charities are helping out. Been to the American Red Cross website - they haven't yet posted anything. I am sure we will see something within the next couple of days.

I am sorry. The correct address is phuketgazette.net.

Naturally CNN and BBC World carrying full coverage, Thai TV too. Cannot add much more to reports already posted, the airport on Phuket was opened late afternoon and flights getting in/out. Having lived in Patong for many years so sad to see/hear of places so so familiar, gladly all our friends are ok. Of course this has affected so many areas in the whole region our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone.

Has anyone heard anything on the conditons of the islands on the east side of Thailand. I have already made plans of vactioning in Phuket and Phi Phi starting this saturday.(no travel insurance of course). If conditions are ok I may just move my plans to Kho Samui

We are on the Gulf of Thailand and knew nothing until getting some calls from friends in Phuket so we switched on the TV. This happened in the Indian Ocean so the Gulf side is ok.

You might find following site of interest w/posts from locals:

http://asiaweb-direct.com/forums/pos...amp;Board=UBB1

Just came across the screen on Fox - the Seychelles (didn't indicate which islands in particular) have been hit with flooding; also Mombasa in Kenya. Can only assume other coastal areas on East coast of Africa as well.

We had so many people on this board talking about spending the season in Thailand and the wider area. My prayers are with them and with all other people affected in the area, we are all so fond of on this board. Are all our Fodorites accounted for? I can imagine what it must be like, I've lived myself through a quake of 7.2 in Turkey in 99. Put a short message on the board, all of you in the area, please.

It apperas a lot of the affected areas have lots communication, it may be a while before we hear from anyone.

My hearts go out to all those people!!

Email from Mauritius indicates very little effect there.

Here I am sitting at my computer in Ao Chalong in Phuket,waiting for the next reported surge,I'm about 150 mtrs from the sea wall,my Thai girlfriend has done a bunk,saying I'm crazy to stay,I've just taken a ride down to the sea wall and all is calm at the moment,but there are boats upside down eveywhere one of my boats was carried over the sea wall and is now sitting in a restaurant,my bigger boat servived at anchor,so far,and my cruiser was OK untill the jetty it was tied too collapsed on top of it,repairable thankfully.
When it hit I was on charter off Phuket on the east side ,we couldn't decide whether to go to Phi Phi or Phang Gna,we eventually decided on Phang Gna,thank God.
It was our first night out and I commented on the strange currents that where flowing at the time,but didn't worry too much about it because it is nearly full moon and spring tides comming,so we carried on to our night stop at Kho Rang,we had an unusual heavy rain squall go through that night and current just suddenly took off and we were being thrown around 360 degrees.Very early the next morning I got the call to say an earthquake had hit the area and tidel waves were about to hit,so my guests climbed to the highest point on the island expecting the worst,but they got evacuated by a police launch and are at this minute in the Boat Lagoon Spar Hotel,where they treated my cook and myself to a very nice seafood supper.
Phi Phi is devastated, I have heard from a dive shop that many divers have been lost and ferries have capsized,the figure they gave me was 250 dead and many missing.
Krabi,Kho Lanta same story,even kho Samui in the Gulf of Thailand was hit but at this stage can't give details.
I have personally lost a friend to the sea,she was working for a charity organization feeding the many homeless dogs on Phuket,and was doing her feeding rounds on Nai Hairn beach when the sea claimed ,God Rest Her Soul

Dear God... thoughts and prayers.. so many people.. and some many Fodors guests planning trips..... thanks for your report, SydneyX... thank God you are ok.. I am so deeply sorry for your loss...

PHUKET, Thailand (AP) - Thousands of European tourists were begining their day with breakfast or by sunning themselves on Thailand's white sand beaches when massive waves triggered by an earthquake, swept people, bungalows, boats and cars out to sea.

Sydneyx, it seems you had a warning of the tidal waves. Was anyone in Phuket aware they were coming?

So far, the impact to east Africa was mostly psychological, with residents and tourists anxious to see what impact the wave would have here. In countries stretching from the Horn of Africa, down to Tanzania and out into the Indian Ocean, only lowland flooding and irregularly fast tidal changes had been reported.

Beaches at tourist resorts around Mombasa, where hundreds of foreign visitors are staying, were closed because of the extreme tidal movements set off by the earthquake. "We have had four high tides and four low tides in the last six hours," a spokesperson for the Turtle Bay resort in Malindi said, adding the resort would remain shut until the water calmed.

Kenyan authorities said they did not expect things to worsen. "We are monitoring the situation very closely, but we don't expect it reach this far," Mombasa provincial police office Alex Rono said. The British government warned its citizens in Madagascar, Mauritius, the Seychelles, Kenya and Tanzania to be alert for potential danger from the tsunami. In Somalia, strong waves and winds capsized boats and kept fishermen in port.

"I do not know what to expect from the ocean," said a Somali fisherman in the coastal town of Adale, 56km north of Mogadishu. A report that three were drowned by surging waters in fishing village of Garacad, in the northern coastal state of Puntland, could not be independently confirmed.

In the Seychelles, low-lying coastal roads were flooded by a 2m surge and power was knocked out to hundreds of homes. At the airport, fire brigades were forced to wash dozens of fish off of the runway each time disrupted tides sent water rising over the airfield. Residents and tourists were warned to be ready to move to higher ground if need be.

Mauritius seemed largely untouched by the post-quake surge, although minor flooding struck one of the outlying islands in the archipelago, Rodrigues. In the Comoros Islands, residents had seen no ill effects. - Reuters

Sydneyx;

Thank you so much for your post. I feel for the loss of that wonderful woman who was feeding the homeless dogs in Phuket. So many gone.. God bless them and keep them. Please take care of yourself!
Lola

All of a sudden my concern about terrorist's is dwarfed by the serious devastastation of the quake from Sumatra to the Malaysian Penninsula.Based on reports in US 1/2 hr. ago, it will likely be 15,000+ dead when all is said an done. What a shame!!! Thailand and the other affected countries desperately need tourism. This will impact them for most or all of 2005. While my group will not be going we have raised $14,000 so far to contribute to the Thai Red Cross. We are working now on how to get it into the "right" hands.We will likely raise $20,000+ by next week. I AM NOT soliciting contributions but suggest everyone think about what they can/should do.

Thanks to those of you in Thailand for your posts. My thoughts are with you.

This is really a terrible situation. I feel so sad today as I have spent three nice vacations in Thailand including Phuket. I found this site showing the destruction around Patong Beach... http://www.thailand-photos.net/galle...&password=

sydneyx - Sorry to hear of your loss. But thanks for your personal update as to what you experienced before the tsunami hit and the situation as best you have been able to determine. So hard to comprehend the final numbers of dead and missing. My prayers for everyone.

Just to clarify what SydneyX stated - Samui was not affected and as far as all the local news and international news reported - there was no advance warning of the initial tidal wave. There are warnings that a possible aftershock could cause more tidal waves if the quake is in the same magnitude.

Latest report of around 500 dead and many, many missing including a member of the royal family of Thailand.

9 pm news reported 11,600 dead