Thu, April 12, 2012
COLOMBO, April 11 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka has lifted the tsunami warning nearly four hours after a massive earthquake off Indonesia that triggered mass panic in the Indian Ocean, the Disaster Management Center said here on Wednesday.
Several steps had been taken to deal with the potential emergency including evacuation orders to tourists on holiday in coastal areas and calling on all hotels to provide protection for their guests.
The Disaster Management Center earlier extended the tsunami warning by three hours after an aftershock was felt of the Indonesian earthquake.
The government had cancelled all leave for all hospital staff working in coastal hospitals and placed them on high alert, the health ministry said after a tsunami warning.
The government earlier also disconnected electricity and suspended railway services to coastal areas after issuing a tsunami warning following a massive 8.6 magnitude earthquake off the west coast of Indonesia.
Sri Lanka suffered serious damage during the last tsunami in 2004, losing around 40, 000 people.
