Quake shakes Sumatra

JAKARTA, 15 August 2017: A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake hit the Indonesian island Sumatra on Sunday, but there was no tsunami risk, seismologists said as panicked residents fled their homes.

The quake hit at a depth of 35 kilometres (22 miles) at 10:08 am (0308 GMT) 73 kilometres west of Bengkulu, according to the United States Geological Survey.

“The earthquake was quite strong and shallow, it was felt all the way to Padang, West Sumatra, but there was no threat of a tsunami,” Mochammad Riyadi, an official at Indonesia’s meteorology and geophysics agency told AFP. Read more

Quake shakes Bali

DENPARSAR, 23 March 2017: Tourists fled their hotels in panic on Bali, Wednesday, after the popular Indonesian holiday island was rattled by an early morning earthquake.

The 5.5-magnitude quake struck inland about 10 kilometres (six miles) northeast of the Balinese capital, Denpasar, and not far from the concentration of holiday resorts in the south of the island.

There were no reports of casualties and damage after the quake struck just after 0700 (2300 GMT Tuesday) at a depth of 118 kilometres, but some holidaymakers got a shock. Read more

Bagan to make temples quake resistant

BAGAN, 9 January 2017: Myanmar Earthquake Committee will check that pagodas in ancient Bagan, Nyang U district, Mandalay Region can withstand future quakes.

The ancient pagodas were severely damaged during an earthquake last August.

Now the priority is to restore the damaged pagodas and ensure they are earthquake proof as far as possible. The region around Bagan is prone to earthquakes. Read more

New Zealand evacuates tourists

CHRISTCHURCH, 16 November 2016: Rescuers in New Zealand on Tuesday began airlifting tourists stranded by a 7.8 earthquake that devastated parts of the South Island coast and caused more than 100,000 landslides.

Military helicopters started ferrying the first of 1,200 holidaymakers trapped in the seaside town of Kaikoura, which bore the brunt of a quake that claimed two lives when it struck early Monday.

Officials said US and Japanese military would also join the relief effort. Read more

Quake shakes Christchurch

CHRISTCHURCH, 14 November 2016: A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake killed two people and caused massive infrastructure damage in New Zealand on Monday, but officials said they were optimistic the death toll would not rise.

The tremor, one of the most powerful ever recorded in the quake-prone South Pacific nation, hit just after midnight near the South Island coastal town of Kaikoura.

It triggered a tsunami alert that sent thousands of people fleeing for higher ground across large parts of the country’s rugged coastline before the threat abated. Read more

Bagan temples audit underway

BAGAN, 10 October 2016: A detailed study is underway to access damage at ancient temples and pagodas in Bagan following a powerful earthquake last August.

Experts from UNESCO  and Department of Archaeology, National Museum and Library are undertaking the assessment.

Irrawaddy media reported that the assessment phase had started in early September and should finish by the end of next month. Read more

Bagan visits increase 8%

BAGAN, 8 September 2016: Bagan welcomed 160,000 visitors, January to August, an increase of 8% over the same period last year.

Bagan’s Ministry of Hotels and Tourism director, Than Htut Khine, told local media that the recent earthquake damaged pagodas and ancient structures but not its tourist industry.

“This year, we expect 300,000 visitors travel to Bagan,” he said. Read more

Bagan temples damaged by quake

YANGON, 26 August 2016: A powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar Wednesday, killing at least three people and damaging nearly 200 pagodas in the famous ancient capital of Bagan, officials said.

The quake, which the US Geological Survey said hit at a depth of 84 kilometres (52 miles), was also felt across neighbouring Thailand, India and Bangladesh, sending panicked residents rushing onto the streets.

Two girls, aged 7 and 15, were killed in Magway region where the quake struck, according to Myanmar’s Ministry of Information. Read more

Tourists stay clear of Nepal

LANGTANG, NEPAL, 26 April 2016: Former guesthouse owner, Tenzing Lama, remembers when foreign tourists thronged Nepal’s Langtang valley, trekking through the breathtaking Himalayan wilderness and soaking up the tranquillity.

But the massive earthquake that ripped through Nepal one year ago killing almost 9,000 people, obliterated the valley, part of the country’s oldest national park, along with the tourism industry on which it relied.

Villagers have since returned to the valley and started the Herculean task of clearing trails and rebuilding homes and guesthouses flattened in a massive quake-triggered avalanche. Read more

Nepal: Slow recovery after quake

LANGTANG, 25 April 2016: Langtang in Nepal is now little more than a graveyard. The once tranquil mountain village was obliterated last April when a massive earthquake shattered a glacier, raining tonnes of ice, snow and rock down into the valley below, where hundreds of bodies still lie buried.

Scientists estimate the avalanche hit the ground with enough force to cause a blast more than half the strength of the nuclear bomb, dropped on Hiroshima, making it a miracle that anyone survived.

Those who did are making a hesitant return. Still struggling to come to terms with their loss, unable to forget the horror, they are nonetheless attempting to rebuild their lives. Read more

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