Sumatra 8.7
Mar 28, 2005

Major Quake Off Indonesia Island Damages Hundreds of Buildings; Dozens Likely Buried in Rubble
ABC, Mar 28, 2005

A major earthquake struck off the west coast of Indonesia's Sumatra Island late Monday, damaging hundreds of buildings and sending residents fleeing in panic. Officials issued a tsunami warning for as far away as Sri Lanka. The U.S. Geological Survey said the temblor, which occurred at 11:09 p.m. local time (11:09 a.m. EST), measured a magnitude of 8.2. A later reading put the magnitude at 8.7, said Paul Earle, a USGS research geophysicist. Hundreds of buildings were badly damaged on Nias island, off the Sumatran coast, close to the epicenter of the earthquake. Dozens of people may be buried in the rubble, said Agus Mendrofa, deputy district head on the island.