HTH -- Haiti Earthquake

October 26, 2010. At least 23 killed in tsunami off Indonesia's Sumatra Island

SOURCE: Altegrity Risk International

At least 23 people were killed and 167 others went missing after a magnitude 7.7 on the Richter scale earthquake triggered a localized tsunami off the coast of Sumatra, reports indicated on October 26th. The earthquake struck 20km (13 miles) under the ocean floor near the Mentawai Islands, part of West Sumatra province, sparking the tsunami that destroyed 10 villages. Between eight and 10 Australian nationals went missing in the tsunami, with officials claiming they were on a surfing charter boat in the area at the time of the disaster. Heavy rains prevented helicopters from safely landing on the isolated islands, while boats cannot dock as the waves destroyed the docks at South Pagai. The islands of South Pagai and North Pagai were particularly affected.