tsunami
- Thailand News
Former Aussie cop’s epic run across Thailand for tsunami victims
A former forensic cop from Australia is gearing up for his biggest physical challenge yet—a gruelling 1,400-kilometre run across Thailand in December. Dubbed “Run to Remember,” this endurance test marks the 20th anniversary of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, which claimed 230,000 lives worldwide, including 5,400 in Thailand. Starting on December 1, charity Hands Across the Water founder Peter Baines…
- Phuket News
Wichit conducts major tsunami evacuation drill in Phuket
Phuket’s Wichit Municipality conducted a comprehensive tsunami evacuation drill and rescue exercise yesterday, July 18, aimed at bolstering disaster preparedness in Phuket. Wichit Mayor Kreetha Chotiwichpipat and Mueang Phuket District Chief Worasit Putjeeb led the drill, which involved multiple agencies in a Table Top Exercise (TTX). The simulation was designed to test the municipality’s ability to respond to a tsunami…
- South Thailand News
Faulty tsunami buoy off Phuket’s coast doesn’t affect Thailand’s early warning system
Phuket’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation assured that despite a malfunction in one of the tsunami buoys deployed in the Andaman Sea, the country’s tsunami early warning system remains fully operational. The faulty buoy, identified as No.23461, is 340 kilometres off Phuket’s coast and ceased transmitting signals last Wednesday, as the Foundation of National Disaster Warning Council reported. The…
- Thailand News
Thai govt confirms no Thais affected by recent Japanese earthquake
In light of the recent earthquake in Japan, Panpry Phahitthanukul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that there are no reports of Thai people injured or killed. Panpry expressed concern and support for the Japanese government and its people through a message on X (formerly Twitter) today. There is, however, a stern warning for Thai people in…
- World News
Tsunami hits South Korea with unexpected 67cm wave, North Korea on alert
South Korea has been hit by a tsunami with a wave height of 67 centimetres, exceeding initial predictions by the Korean Meteorological Administration (KMA). The surging wave height, which is potentially dangerous, could also affect North Korea, which has issued a tsunami warning. The KMA reported that a 20-centimetre high tsunami wave hit the east coast of Kangneung City in…
- Thailand News
Thailand marks 19th anniversary of devastating tsunami with somber memorial
Yesterday marked the 19th anniversary of the devastating tsunami that struck Thailand. To commemorate this somber occasion, Sarawut Srisakukam, the head of the Mai Khao Tambon Administrative Organisation, led an official memorial service at the Wall of Remembrance, located at the Mai Khao Cemetery. This ceremony was attended by high-ranking local officials and members of the local community, all brought…
- Phuket News
Phuket’s tidal triumph: Walk & Run for Tsunami Learning 2023 makes waves
Phuket is gearing up for the first edition of the Walk & Run for Tsunami Learning 2023, which is set to take place in Mai Khao on Sunday, with Phuket Vice Governor Anupap Rodkwan Yodrabam leading the preparations. The meeting, held at the Phuket Provincial Hall, aimed to solidify the roles of all participating agencies in the upcoming event. In…
- Thailand News
Wave of disapproval: Krabi residents make waves as foreign men scale tsunami tower in unruly act
Residents in the southern province of Krabi condemned two foreign men for their unruly behaviour after they put their lives in danger to climb a 16-metre tsunami warning tower on Ao Nang Beach. Witnesses speculated that the duo was under the influence of alcohol. A 25 year old Thai woman shared a video of the two foreigners with the Thai news…
- Hot News
Misinformation spreads over Turkey, Syria earthquake
Misinformation is spreading over the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria with some rumours falsely stating that a tsunami occurred. According to the Straits Times, AFP fact-checkers have debunked pictures and videos that were posted online and viewed a thousand times over. The fake news included misattributed pictures and videos that included a “tsunami” and a child mourning his parents.…
- Phuket News
Phuket remembers anniversary of Indian Ocean Tsunami
Today marks the anniversary of one of the deadliest natural disasters ever to befall mankind. The Indian Ocean Tsunami, also known as The Boxing Day Tsunami, struck Phuket and the surrounding areas at 10am on December 26, 2004. In the province and neighbouring provinces, religious ceremonies were held today to mark the 18th anniversary of the deadly tsunami. Religious ceremonies…
- World News
Tsunami warning cancelled after Taiwan earthquake
A tsunami warning has been cancelled after an earthquake rocked Taiwan’s southeastern region today. The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for Taiwan after the earthquake but later rescinded the alert. Today’s earthquake struck Taiwan’s rural Yujing district with a 6.9 magnitude, and a depth of 10 kilometres. Photos showed buildings collapsed, and about 20 people were evacuated…
- Phuket News
Phuket to hold tsunami evacuation drill tomorrow
The tourist resort of Phuket will be holding a tsunami evacuation drill tomorrow from 2pm. Warning alerts in five languages, including English, Japanese, Chinese, and Russian will be available, and 200 assembly points in three districts are prepared. The Director of Phuket’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, Udomporn Karn, informed the media that Phuket’s yearly tsunami evacuation drill would focus…
- Thailand Weather Updates
Series of earthquakes strike 500km away from Thailand’s Andaman coast
A series of continuous 4.0 – 4.9 magnitude earthquakes struck the Andaman and Nicobar islands for a period of 3 days, 506 kilometres away from Thailand’s Andaman coast. More than 40 tremors occurred, beginning July 4 at 6:00am and continuing until this morning, July 6. The epicentre of the tremors was only 10 kilometres deep, making the chance of a…
- Phuket News
King tide in Phuket spurs online fears of a tsunami – it wasn’t
There was a lot of online chatter yesterday which was claiming there had been a small tsunami along the western shores of Phuket. The posts were correlating a king tide (unusually high tide) in Phuket, that was at its highest at 1.27pm (Sunday afternoon), some rough seas and a strong south-westerly swell in the Andaman Sea and Phang Nga Bay,…
- Thailand News
Thailand’s tsunami warning system still works, says Disaster Department
Thailand has worryingly lost connection with two tsunami detection buoys, but the country’s tsunami warning system is still effective, insists the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, or DDPM. Indian authorities recently recovered one of the buoys in the Indian Ocean after the department lost contact with it on October 22 last year. The department is trying to recover a…
- Phuket News
Thai officials say out-of-order tsunami buoys will be fixed soon
Thailand’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department has admitted that 2 tsunami detection buoys are out of order, but insists they will be repaired soon. The department was forced to issue a statement following widely-shared news on social media that the buoys were out of order. According to the reports, both buoys had stopped submitting information to the National Data Buoy…
- World News
Powerful earthquake hits Indonesian island of Sumatra, no tsunami threat
The island of Sumatra, off Indonesia’s west coast, has been hit by a strong earthquake, which struck at 04.09am this morning. However, Indonesian geophysics agency says the 6.7 quake was not powerful enough to trigger a tsunami. The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre had reported the quake as being of magnitude 6.8 and at a depth of 40 kilometres. According to…
- Phuket News
Phang Nga village hit by 2004 tsunami opens museum
One Phang Nga village community that was hit hard by the 2004 tsunami, Baan Nam Khem, has officially opened a museum about the tsunami, known as the Asian Tsunami (which was commemorated again recently). Thailand’s Minister of Culture, who attended the opening, says the museum will educate people about the history of how the tsunami devastated the Baan Nam Khem…
- Thailand video news
Thailand News Today | Possible easing of restrictions in Thailand
Thailand’s Public Health Minister says he’s backing the restoration of the Test & Go entry scheme as concerns about the Omicron variant subside. Test & Go was suspended around 4 weeks ago as the highly-contagious variant spread around the globe. Now, Anutin Charnvirakul says he’ll ask the CCSA to consider bringing it back, as well as easing a number of…
- Thailand News
Tonga tragedy prompts PM to check if Thailand’s prepared for another tsunami
That reminds me… The recent volcanic eruption on the island of Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai in Tonga has prompted the Thai PM to check Thailand’s preparedness in the event of another tsunami. According to a Nation Thailand report, the PM has instructed relevant agencies to keep an eye on developments in Tonga and to ensure Thailand’s disaster warning system is working. Government spokesperson…
- Thailand News
Experts say Thailand still not prepared for another tsunami, public unaware of danger
17 years after the Boxing Day tsunami devastated Thailand’s south-west coast, the country remains unprepared for a repeat performance. That is the view of a number of public disaster experts, who warn that the general public is unaware of the risks posed by another tsunami. According to a Thai PBS World report, experts also say Thailand still doesn’t have an…
- Events
Thailand – the 17th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami
A powerful underwater earthquake rumbled off the coast of northern coast of Sumatra island, Indonesia, at 7:59am local time, setting off a series of underwater shockwaves that would eventually be felt right around the rim of the Indian Ocean. It was the Boxing Day Tsunami (or Indian Ocean Tsunami, or Asian Tsunami) and it started affecting the shorelines around the Indian…
- World News
Melbourne hit by 6.0 magnitude quake, tremors across south-east Australia
The Australian city of Melbourne, capital of the south-eastern state of Victoria, has been struck by a 6.0 magnitude earthquake, damaging buildings but with no serious injuries reported. The quake struck on Wednesday morning, with tremors felt as far away as Adelaide and Sydney. It measured higher on the Richter scale than a 5.6 quake that struck Newcastle, New South…
- World News
Indonesian police may have found officer missing since 2004 tsunami in mental health facility
Officials in the Indonesian province of Aceh believe they may have found a police officer who has been missing since the Indian Ocean tsunami struck 16 years ago. The 2004 Boxing Day tsunami was one of the world’s worst recorded natural disasters, killing around a quarter of a million people in several countries around the Indian Ocean. Aceh was the…
- Thailand News
Covid tourism standstill gives Thailand’s southern sea gypsies a break
Phuket’s sea gypsy communities are getting a much needed break after the Covid tourism standstill have their traditions a break from the tourism onslaught. 42 year old Sanan Changham says now there is an abundance of fish and shellfish to eat. Tourist boats have been docked at the quay, making fishing easier for the Chao Lay, or “people of the…
- Phuket News
Tsunami warning buoys to be installed, replacing Thailand’s out-of-action buoys
Tsunami warning buoys will be re-installed after one buoy got loose and floated off and the other appeared to have been scavenged for parts. The buoys transmit real-time data, allowing officials to detect underwater earthquakes. 30 experts from Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation departed from the Phuket Deep Sea Port to install the buoys. First, they will replace…
- World News
2 strong quakes shake Indonesia’s Sumatra
2 large, shallow earthquakes, of magnitude 6.8 and 6.9, struck off Indonesia’s Sumatra island early today, according to the US Geological Survey. No tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage. Terrified residents fled their homes when the twin offshore quakes rocked Bengkulu city on Sumatra’s western coast. Bengkulu resident Jumentrio told AFP:…
- World News
7.5 magnitude earthquake rattles Mexico
A 7.5-magnitude earthquake has rattled southern and central Mexico causing at least five deaths with some questioning if a tsunami would follow. The large quake produced more than 140 aftershocks, mostly small, but churches, bridges and highways were the main structures damaged. Mexico’s National Seismological Service said the quake struck the southern state of Oaxaca at 10.29 am local time on…
- Phuket News
Tsunami evacuation drill held in Patong, Phuket
The siren sounded, a tsunami was on the way and people had to evacuate from Phuket’s Patong Beach. Some people were so enthusiastic about the practice drill they started running from the beach before the siren was even sounded. Officials hailed the evacuation drill as a success. But some tourists were either bewildered by the 600 or so people that…
- World News
East Sulawesi rocked by 6.8 magnitude tremor – tsunami warning
A strong 6.8 magnitude earthquake rattled eastern Indonesia yesterday triggering a tsunami warning, soon retracted, sending panicked residents fleeing to higher ground. The quake struck off the east coast of Sulawesi island near where a 7.5 magnitude earthquake and tsunami around the city of Palu killed more than 4,300 people in September last year. Indonesia’s disaster agency issued a tsunami…
