Maldives also withdraws tsunami alert

Tsunami warning has been issued following an 8.9 magnitude earthquake near Aceh, Indonesia.

14:06 - Earthquake felt in Maldives

14:08 - Several buildings shaken in Maldives. People are vacating these buildings.

14:09 - Justice Building has been evacuated.

14:13 - Tsunami warning has been issued to 28 countries. They include Maldives, Sri Lanka and India. Tsunami will reach Maldives in two hours.

14:14 - Department of Meteorological Service has issued warning of a Tsunami in Maldives within three hours, following a powerful earthquake in South Sumatra in Indonesia.

Director of MET Office Hussain Waheed said that Maldives may be affected by a Tsunami in three hours' time, but no Tsunami has been created so far. However he stressed the importance of taking the necessary steps.

"A Tsunami is likely in Maldives in about three hours. We are now working in emergency condition."

MET Office has issued yellow level of Tsunami warning - which is the warning for being hit by a Tsunami.

14:16 - More buildings are being shaken and evacuated. Hulhumale' Lale International School has also been evacuated.

14:16 - Velaanaage building, Huravee building, and Ghazee building where government offices are located, are being evacuated.

14:22 - Tsunami warning issued for Andaman and Nicobar islands.

14:25 - Several islands are reporting having felt the earthquake. Hdh. Makunudhoo was shaken a lot. People have started moving to higher altitude areas in several islands.

14:26 - Pacific Tsunami warning Centre has said that the earthquake originated 33 km below sea level, at 8.7 magnitude. Even though they have not said that a Tsunami has been created, they have issued an alert indicating that a Tsunami may hit some areas.

14:27 - People outside Velaanaage building, which was evacuated following the earthquake

14:33 - Dhiraagu mobile services are having network problems.

Fuahmulaku has also reported the earthquake minutes ago.

14:34 - Several schools have ended their sessions and evacuated the school buildings. People are crying outside some buildings.

14:37 - Tsunami warning has been issued in Sri Lanka.

14:41 - Several people in Male' have evacuated the buildings and are on the streets. People are emotional in the islands, and are moving to areas of high altitude.

14:43 - All people of Th. Guraidhoo are on the street, upon the Island Council's request. Security forces are active in providing information to islanders, based on the 2004 experience.

14:45 - MET Office has said that Maldives will not be affected by aftershocks of the earthquake, and that there is no danger in remaining inside high buildings.

14:47 - US Geological Survey has said that there is no danger of a Tsunami being created.

14:56 - Police and Military are working in islands on informing and preparing people

15:00

Tsunami WATCH, not WARNING issued over Indian Ocean. Pls stay CALM & prevent PANIC & stay off the phones to prevent network jamming

— MNDF (@MNDF_Official) April 11, 2012

14:56 - MET Office has said that just now, the safest is to remain in high buildings and areas. No Tsunami has been created yet. If a Tsunami occurs, it will reach Maldives by 16:45.

14:56 - Chief of National Emergency Centre (EOC) MNDF's Sergeant Mohamed Didi said that all regions of Maldives have been informed, and are preparing for an emergency situation.

15:03 - MET Office has warned people on islands against going near the beach within the next one hour. People out on the sea should also refrain from going near the islands.

15:10 - People on several islands have gathered in the centre of the islands.

15:13 -

#Tsunami "less likely" because #earthquake off #Indonesia moved horizontally, not vertically, USGS spokesman tells BBC bbc.in/I21zno

— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) April 11, 2012

15:23 -

Due toTsunami warning we r experiencing vry high usage on our network. U may experiencedifficulty in making calls & using data services

— DHIRAAGU (@DHIRAAGU) April 11, 2012

15:25 - Some reports say that earthquake magnitude has been reduced to 8.6.

15:27 - Maldives Red Crescent has begun work to provide right information regarding the earthquake to people, as different versions of stories are spreading.

15:32 - Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre says that a tsunami is likely to have been created, based on the height of the water.

15:31 - Island Councils are working on evacuating people from homes. Information is being provided to people in panic.

15:43 - Aljazeera has referred to Tsunami Warning Centre officials and reported that a 17 cm wave is moving in the direction of Aceh.

15:48 - Hulhumale' and Vilimale' ferry services will be stopped at 16:40.

15:49 - Water level in Indonesia has risen by 6.7 inches; this is not large enough to be a tsunami.

15:35 - India has said that it is good to be prepared, but no Tsunami is likely.

16:06 - Aljazeera correspondent in Indonesia has said that a new Tsunami warning has been issued following an aftershock of 8.8 magnitude.

People are being warned against going inside buildings.

The time indicated by Maldives MET Office has also been extended till 17:30.

16:09 - Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre says that a Tsunami is not likely as the time the Tsunami was estimated to hit several regions has passed.

16:10 -

16:12 - MET Office has extended the time of Tsunami alert to 17:30. They have asked people to be alert and prepared.

16:29 - AP has reported that a wave of 30 inches (80cm) has been created near Aceh. However a wave of this height is not serious.

17:04 - MET Office says that tsunami alert time has been extended till 19:30.

17:15 - Tsunami Warning Centre says that the number of countries where tsunami watch is issued has been reduced to five, which are Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, United Kingdom. There were 28 countries on the list before.

17:27 - GMR has reported that Ibrahim Nasir International Airport is on alert. The aircrafts on the runway are being taken to safer areas. The boats in the lagoon have been moved out beyond the reef.

17:33 - MET has reported that a wave of 3.5ft has occurred in Aceh in Indonesia, and smaller waves have occurred in various regions of Indonesia. There is no danger in waves of this size.

17:37 - President's Office has said that the President has held a cabinet meeting following the tsunami watch; the situation is being closely monitored, and no damage was caused by the earthquake.

17:43 - Reports have been received that the water level near several islands are rising. MET Office said that there is no sign of an ocean wide tsunami in Maldives.

"Following an earthquake of this magnitude, changes in water levels are likely. However there is no sign of a tsunami yet." -- MET Office official

17:55 - All alerts by Pacific Tsunami Warning Center have been canceled. MET Office said that Maldives has not canceled its alert.

18:22 - Boats in Male' which were taken out to sea are being returned to the jetty area. MET Office says that a tsunami is not likely.

19:19 - MET Office has said that there is no danger of a tsunami in Maldives, and that they will cancel the alert at 19:30.

19:32 - MET Office said that the tsunami alert has been cancelled. Maldives has not been affected by a tsunami.