Strong Quake Hits Indonesia on Tsunami Anniversary

A magnitude-6.0 earthquake has shaken Indonesia on the fifth anniversary of the tsunami that devastated the Southeast Asian country.

The earthquake struck northwest of Saumlaki in the Tanimbar Islands on Saturday.

There were no immediate reports of casualties with the authorities ruling the possibility of a tsunami.

A massive tsunami hit the Indonesian island Sumatra’s western coast on December 26, 2004 the tsunami killed nearly 226, 000 people in 13 countries.

The quake comes as Asia is marking the fifth anniversary of the deadly Indian Ocean tsunami.

In Indonesia’s Banda Aceh, survivors gathered in neighborhood mosques or homes in commemoration of those killed. Indonesia was the worst-hit nation with the number of dead and missing towering above 166,000. Over half a million people were rendered homeless in the aftermath of the tsunami in Indonesia.

In Thailand, thousands of Buddhist monks gathered in the small fishing village of Ban Nam Khem to pray for the victims of the devastating tsunami. The waves killed nearly half of the village’s population.

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 27th, 2009 at 5:42 am and is filed under Earthquakes/Tsunami's, Natural Dissasters, Signs on the Earth. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.