2,000 dead in tsunami panic

Up to 2,000 people are feared dead after an earthquake off the coast of Indonesia sparked fears of another tsunami.

Rescuers are searching for survivors amid ruins on the Sumatran island of Nias. Hundreds of people are thought to be buried in the rubble.

Tens of thousands more fled their homes as the first tremors were felt and governments from Malaysia to Sri Lanka ordered mass evacuations of their coastlines.

The region around the Indian Ocean is still recovering from the Boxing Day tsunami which left nearly 300,000 people dead.

Officials today spoke of "extreme panic" caused by the 8.7 magnitude quake, which struck at 11.09pm local time. People were thrown off their feet and buildings shook.

It caused at least one big wave, three metres high, which smashed into the Indonesian island of Simeulue. The wave caused extensive damage to the island's main port.

Aftershocks today hit the region and more are predicted. But despite some reports of large waves pounding other coastlines as well, fears of another tsunami have receded.

Indonesian vice-president Jusuf Kalla said that between 1,000 and 2,000 people had probably been killed on Nias, close to the epicentre of the quake.

He said the estimate was based on an assessment of damage to buildings, which police said had left 75 per cent of the town destroyed. Fire raged through the area.

The earthquake struck on the same fault line as the quake on 26 December which created the huge wave. The deputy head of the town of Gunungsitoli on Nias, Agus Mendrofa, told local radio that at least 296 people had so far been confirmed dead. He said: " Hundreds of buildings have been damaged or have collapsed. People who were standing fell over. We're not sure about casualties.

"Gunungsitoli is now like a dead town. The situation here is in extreme panic." Sergeant Zulkifli Sirait, of the island's police, said: "We still cannot count the number of casualties or the number of collapsed buildings because it is dark here. It is possible that hundreds of people trapped in the collapsed buildings died."

Father Raymond Laia said: "From the window I see very high flames. The town is completely destroyed."

The tremor struck 19 miles under the Andaman Sea and lasted for up to three minutes. Its strength was recorded at 8.7 on the Richter scale, with the epicentre further south than the Boxing Day quake.

"It seems the earthquake did not trigger a tsunami," said Prihar Yadi, a scientist with the Indonesia Geophysics Agency. He added: "And if there's no tsunami on the coastline near the epicentre there will not be one heading in the other direction."

Governments in Thailand, India and Japan initially tried to warn people though radio and television and many headed immediately for higher ground.

In the province of Aceh, tens of thousands of people abandoned tents and temporary homes and ran for higher ground. "It was horrible, the only thing on my mind was how to get out of the house immediately and save my baby girl," said a 27-year-old woman.

"I ran outside with my husband to our neighbour's house and sat there for about a half-hour, and prayed that the tsunami won't come again because we have suffered enough."

The quake was felt as far away as Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, more than 435 miles from the centre.

In Kuala Lumpur and Penang, fire alarms sent thousands of residents fleeing their high rise blocks of flats and hotels.

In Sri Lanka, warning sirens blared along the east coast and president Chandrika Kumaratunga urged people to evacuate. Tsunami warning throughout the region were later scaled down.

"It was like reliving the same horror of three months ago," said Fatheena Faleel, who fled her home with her three children. Journalist Ravi Prasad said: "This time people are more alert and they would move much faster to find higher ground."

In Krabi, on the coast of Thailand, people deserted the beach to move to higher ground and boats were heading further out to sea to safer water. Around 4,000 tourists and locals were evacuated from beaches in Patong and Kamala to higher ground. Hotels and hospitals in Phuket and Phang-nga were evacuated. Dominic Nutt of Christian Aid, who is in Batticaloa on the east coast of Sri Lanka, said he had just attended a UN meeting to discuss how to train people for what to do if there was another tsunami.

"No one has been trained yet," he said. "A lot of people are in tents and don't have electricity, TV or radio and so won't know what's going on."

The latest earthquake will come as a severe blow to a region struggling to recover from the devastating impact of the Boxing Day tsunami.

The Foreign Office said British embassies in the region are on alert to deal with any emergencies.

A spokesman said: "British travellers in affected countries should stay alert, monitor the media and promptly take any precautions recommended by the local authorities or other reliable local sources.

"Those intending to travel should check with their travel agents or tour operators before starting journeys to the affected countries."