Evacuation ordered in Phuket after 8.9 quake strikes Indonesia

BANGKOK, April 11 (TNA) - A tsunami warning and an evacuation order have been issued in Thailand’s southern Andaman Phuket province, after a strong earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale struck Indonesia’s northern Sumatra Island at 3:30pm Wednesday. Tremors have been reported on Phuket Island as well as in other Andaman provinces following the massive earthquake. Warning sirens were heard from a tsunami warning tower in Phuket’s Saphan Hin Cape, while there was noticeably drop in the sea level there. Phuket Governor Tree Ackaradecha ordered the provincial disaster prevention and mitigation office to coordinate with relevant local agencies in alerting people living along coastal areas to evacuate to safe areas, including the Provincial Hall, in which flows of people were arriving. According to the National Disaster Waning Center, tsunami waves could probably hit the Andaman coastal Thai areas in the evening. A similar tsunami warning and an evacuation order have also been issued in other adjacent Andaman coastal Thai provinces, including Phang-nga, Krabi, Ranong, Trang and Satun. (TNA)