East African nations issue tsunami alerts

NAIROBI (Thomson Financial) - African nations neighbouring the Indian Ocean on Wednesday warned of a possible tsunami after an earthquake struck off the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, officials said.
The Kenyan authorities advised residents along the coastal region to keep off the beaches and remain alert, warning that a tsunami was expected.
'An earthquake hit southern Sumatra, Asia at 2:10 pm (1110 GMT). A massive tsunami is expected to hit the Kenyan coast at 11.39 pm (2039 GMT) tonight. This is when the tide is high,' government spokesman Alfred Mutua said in a statement.
'The government is asking all people to evacuate from the beach areas. This is to be noted by all beach hotels and people residing next to the beach,' the statement added.
Neighbouring Tanzania's meteorological agency also issued a warning urging residents living along the coastline and on the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba to be vigilant.
'The earthquake has generated a tsunami. It is expected that the tsunami waves will hit Tanzania coastal areas as from 11:30 pm (2030 GMT) tonight,' the agency said in a statement.
The government of Mauritius issued a tsunami issued the alert that was broadcast on radio stations, urging the tiny Indian Ocean island's inhabitants to keep off beaches at night.
A response committee was formed and residents in some of the most exposed coastal regions were encouraged to gather in designated areas for the night.
Earlier, a massive 8.2-magnitude earthquake struck off Sumatra island, toppling buildings. It triggered an Indonesian tsunami alert, which was rapidly called off.
Indonesia has endured repeated major quakes in recent years, including the 2004 quake that unleashed a tsunami across the Indian Ocean.
It killed over 220,000 people in a dozen countries including some 168,000 in the Indonesian province of Aceh alone.
That tsunami killed around 300 people in Somalia, caused damage in Africa's Indian Ocean islands of the Seychelles and Mauritius. It also hit the coasts of Kenya and Tanzania.
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