A damaged bank office is seen in Indonesia\'s province of Banda Aceh April 12, 2012. A powerful 8.6 magnitude earthquake and a series of strong aftershocks struck off Indonesia on Wednesday, sending people scurrying from buildings as far away as southern India, but there seemed little risk of a disastrous tsunami as in 2004. Indonesia said it was checking for damage and casualties but remarkably, no such reports had been received for several hours after the quakes, including in Aceh, the closest province and the area decimated by the disaster eight years ago.Reuters
A damaged bank office is seen in Indonesia\'s province of Banda Aceh April 12, 2012. A powerful 8.6 magnitude earthquake and a series of strong aftershocks struck off Indonesia on Wednesday, sending people scurrying from buildings as far away as southern India, but there seemed little risk of a disastrous tsunami as in 2004. Indonesia said it was checking for damage and casualties but remarkably, no such reports had been received for several hours after the quakes, including in Aceh, the closest province and the area decimated by the disaster eight years ago.ReutersA security guard inspects the damage of a bank office in Indonesia\'s province of Banda Aceh April 12, 2012. A powerful 8.6 magnitude earthquake and a series of strong aftershocks struck off Indonesia on Wednesday, sending people scurrying from buildings as far away as southern India, but there seemed little risk of a disastrous tsunami as in 2004. Indonesia said it was checking for damage and casualties but remarkably, no such reports had been received for several hours after the quakes, including in Aceh, the closest province and the area decimated by the disaster eight years ago.ReutersResidents gather at Sibigo bay to see water recede after an earthquake hit, on Indonesia\'s island of Simeulue off Aceh\'s southern coast April 11, 2012. The powerful 8.6 magnitude earthquake and a series of strong aftershocks struck off Indonesia on Wednesday, sending people scurrying from buildings as far away as southern India, but there seemed little risk of a disastrous tsunami as in 2004. Indonesia said it was checking for damage and casualties but remarkably, no such reports had been received for several hours after the quakes, including in Aceh, the closest province and the area decimated by the disaster eight years ago.ReutersPatients are evacuated from a hospital after an earthquake hit the western coast of Sumatra, in Banda Aceh in Aceh province April 11, 2012. TReutersPeople gather outside Baiturrahman Mosque after an earthquake hit Banda Aceh April 11, 2012. The powerful 8.6 magnitude earthquake and a series of strong aftershocks struck off Indonesia on Wednesday, sending people scurrying from buildings as far away as southern India, but there seemed little risk of a disastrous tsunami as in 2004. Indonesia said it was checking for damage and casualties but remarkably, no such reports had been received for several hours after the quakes, including in Aceh, the closest province and the area decimated by the disaster eight years ago.ReutersResidents sleep on the floor of Baiturrahman Mosque after an earthquake hit Banda Aceh, in Indonesia\'s Aceh province, April 12, 2012. A powerful 8.6 magnitude earthquake and a series of strong aftershocks struck off Indonesia on Wednesday, sending people scurrying from buildings as far away as southern India, but there seemed little risk of a disastrous tsunami as in 2004. Indonesia said it was checking for damage and casualties but remarkably, no such reports had been received for several hours after the quakes, including in Aceh, the closest province and the area decimated by the disaster eight years agoReutersA woman holds her child who is ill in her lap after they were evacuated from a government run hospital in the southern Indian city of Chennai April 11, 2012, following an earthquake which struck off Indonesia. A few thousand people were evacuated to higher ground from parts of Andaman and Nicobar islands on Wednesday following earthquakes in Indonesia, as the islands prepared for tsunami waves up to 3.9 metres high, officials said.ReutersPatients rest in a corridor of a hospital after being evacuated from the hospital building in Banda Aceh, after an earthquake hit the western coast of Sumatra in Aceh province April 11, 2012. The powerful 8.6 magnitude earthquake and a series of strong aftershocks struck off Indonesia on Wednesday, sending people scurrying from buildings as far away as southern India, but there seemed little risk of a disastrous tsunami as in 2004. Indonesia said it was checking for damage and casualties but remarkably, no such reports had been received for several hours after the quakes, including in Aceh, the closest province and the area decimated by the disaster eight years ago.ReutersA man evacuates his family in a motorcycle in Banda Aceh after a strong earthquake struck Indonesia province April 11, 2012. An 8.6 magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia on Wednesday, sending residents around the region scurrying from buildings and raising fears of a huge tsunami as in 2004, but authorities said there were no reports suggesting a major threat. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage in Aceh, the Indonesian province closest to the earthquake.Reuters
The world breathed a sigh of relief after the tsunami warning that was issued in the wake of an 8.7 magnitude earthquake that hit off the coast of Indonesia's Aceh province on Wednesday evening was lifted.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the strong tremor that followed the first quake was centered 16km beneath the ocean and around 615km from the provincial capital of Banda Aceh.
Although initial reports from government agencies and research institutes spoke of a tsunami, later research confirmed the quake as a "slip-strike" event, meaning it was a horizontal displacement of a tectonic plate that triggered no drastic waves; unlike the 2004 event which was an undersea mega-thrust earthquake that caused a tsunami.
Nevertheless, citizens of Southeast Asian coastal areas were understandably alarmed in the aftermath of the initial quake, which was felt in Bangkok, Rangoon, Singapore and India and was followed by a series of equally strong aftershocks, one of which was measured at 8.2.
Meanwhile, the Jakarta Post confirmed that the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) - Earthquake and Tsunami Division - was monitoring the aftereffects of the quake.
"We're keeping an eye on the movements of the plates to detect potential spots for an earthquake," the agency said, adding, "Indonesia is prone to natural disasters due its geographical position. The country's position covers a number of tectonic plates."
However, more precautions are needed, according a chief risk analyst at Jakarta-based Concord Consulting, in order to prepare for future events.
"The simple message is that in any critical condition like this, it's impossible to get everyone out in time. The tsunami alert system worked to a degree ... While awareness has improved, reinforced by 2004, it still needs to get better through public education and government campaigns," Keith Loveard told Reuters.
Check out these photographs from Indonesia's Aceh province, in the immediate aftermath of the aftershocks and the initial quake...
