U.N.: No tsunami yet from Indonesia quake

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U.N.: No tsunami yet from Indonesia quake

By Nick Wadhams, Associated Press Writer | March 28, 2005
UNITED NATIONS -- The United Nations had no immediate reports of tsunami from the major earthquake that struck Monday off the west coast of Indonesia's Sumatra Island, a U.N. official said.

Jan Egeland, the U.N. disaster relief coordinator, told a briefing there had been widespread panic in areas near the quake, which he said was a "great earthquake" and not an aftershock.

"The hard-hit population of western Sumatra have been again struck by a very large earthquake," Egeland said. "We do not have reports of any tsunami yet and we have also only limited reports of damage."

He said there were "unconfirmed reports" of deaths on Nias, a renowned surfing spot badly hit by the earlier quake.

Egeland said there were thousands of relief officials in the region, and they were ready to respond if casualties and damages were reported.