Tuesday, March 29, 2005
5.7-magnitude aftershock hits Nias Island (1:17 p.m.)
HONG KONG -- A 5.7-magnitude earthquake hit off Indonesia's coast Tuesday morning near the area of the region's overnight 8.7-magnitude quake, Hong Kong seismologists said.
The tremor was recorded in Hong Kong at 7:19 a.m., or 6:19 a.m. local Indonesian time (2319 GMT Monday), and was centered about 620 kilometers (380 miles) south-southeast of Banda Aceh, the Hong Kong Observatory said in a statement.
The latest quake was near the Indonesian island of Nias. Monday's powerful earthquake struck just north of Nias.
University of Hong Kong geophysicist Chan Lung-sang called Tuesday morning's quake an aftershock of the previous night's quake, and said that several dozen more aftershocks of 5.0-magnitude or higher could be expected.
Chan said Monday's 8.7-magnitude quake was part of the aftermath of December's massive tsunami-producing temblor that also struck off Indonesia's coast. The December quake destabilized the area's fault line, leading to Monday night's big tremor, he said.
The death toll from Monday's quake was estimated to be up to 2,000. It wasn't immediately clear if the fresh quake led to further damage and casualties.(AP)
|
