UAE tsunami travel warning; checking on citizens in area

A senior official at the UAE Foreign Ministry said that it is seriously following up through its diplomatic missions in the South East Asian countries, the present conditions of the Emirati citizens there, after a high intensity earthquake rocked Indonesia triggering fears of a tsunami in the Indian ocean.

Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry Juma Mubarak Al Junaibi also urged the UAE citizens to take precautions and avoid travelling to those regions except in situations of ultimate necessity.

He also appealed to the citizens to register in the 'Tawajudee' service online through the ministry's portal when travelling abroad.

Earlier, t wo massive earthquakes triggered back-to-back tsunami warnings for Indonesia on Wednesday, sending panicked residents fleeing to high ground in cars and on the backs of motorcycles. No deadly waves or serious damage resulted, and a watch for much of the Indian Ocean was lifted after a few hours.

Women and children cried in Aceh, where memories are still raw of a 2004 tsunami that killed 170,000 people in the province alone. Others screamed ``God is great'' as they poured from their homes or searched frantically for separated family members.

Patients were wheeled out of hospitals, some still lying in their beds with drips attached to their arms. And at least one hotel guest was slightly injured when he jumped out of his window.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the first 8.6-magnitude quake was a shallow 22 kilometers (14 miles), hitting in the sea 270 miles (435 kilometers) from Aceh's provincial capital.

An alert that followed from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii advised countries all along the rim of the Indian Ocean, from Australia and India to as far off as Africa, that a seismically charged wave could head their way.

Two deadly tsunamis in the last decade _ the most recent off Japan just one year ago _ have left the world much better prepared.