Tsunami off Indonesia

 If you click on "Surfers"  or "Mentawai"  below you will read the two articles about how the Tsunami triggered by the 7.7 earthquake there today destroyed one ship when it collided with another and drove the occupants of the ship into shore and into trees to escape the tsunami.

 

Aussies flee as quake triggers tsunami

Mentawai Islands hit by Tsunami - SURF2SURF

quote from Mentawai article:

The 9.42 pm quake (0342 NZ time) triggered a tsunami warning that sent thousands of panicked residents fleeing to high ground. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from the tsunami - or quake -but witnesses reported people were carried 200 metres inland and scrambled up trees as the wall of water hit. At least five towns in the provinces of Bengkulu and West Sumatra were badly jolted, officials and witnesses said, as were the nearby Mentawai islands. "Every was running out of their houses," said Sofyan Alawi, a resident in the city of Padang, adding that roads leading to surrounding hills were quickly jammed with cars and motorcycles. "We kept looking back to see if a wave was coming," said 28-year-old resident Ade Syahputra. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties , said Ade Edward, a disaster management agency official. Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity due to its location on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire. end quote. 

begin quote from "Aussie's Flee" article:

Up to 10 Australians are missing after a powerful undersea earthquake struck a popular surfing area in west of Sumatra in Indonesia.

The 7.7-magnitude undersea quake hit the Mentawai Islands, off the west coast of Indonesia, at 9.42pm yesterday (1.42am today AEDT). Do you know more? Message 0424 SMS SMH 764, email us or direct message us on Twitter with information or images.

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The earthquake in the Mentawai Islands region off Sumatra, Indonesia. Photo: USGS

The Australia embassy in Jakarta said it was trying to contact the captain of a boat which was in the area when the quake struck. They believe between eight to 10 Australians were on the boat, Southern Cross, which is owned by Sumatran Surfariis. "There is one boat that we haven't been able to make contact with, the Southern Cross," said Yuli, a staff member at Padang-based Sumatran Surfariis.end quote. 

 

 

Tsunami: No sign of nine surfers

Surfaid's Mentawai Islands Program Manager Tom Plummer confirmed the boat was missing. "It was close to the epicentre," he told AAP. "There are genuine fears." Another group of surfers from Melbourne, Sydney and the Gold Coast surfing in the trouble... Full Article at The Courier Mail

More Aussies unaccounted for as 3m wave hits near Mentawai Islands after Indonesian earthquake

This is the Indonesian "Southern Cross" that is missing with at least 8 to 10 Australians on board.

Surfers 'climbed trees to escape tsunami'‎