September 18, 2007

By Amrit Pal 

An earthquake measuring 8.4 on the Richter scale had struck off Sumatra's west coast on Wednesday and was followed by a series of aftershocks, jolting the coastal provinces of Bengkulu and West Sumatra.

More than 60 aftershocks have followed the major tremor, including a magnitude 7.8. The tremors were felt in the high rise buildings of Bangkok also. The death toll in Indonesia has risen to 23, with 88 injured people while officials have counted more than 15,000 collapsed or damaged buildings.

The experts were predicting a repeat of the monster earthquake that triggered the 2004 Asian tsunami, killing more than 230,000 people. Thankfully, that didn't happen.

Menawhile reports say that Thailand is drafting regulations to declare Bangkok an earthquake-prone zone. The new law would require all new tall buildings in Bangkok and surrounding provinces to be quake-proof. It has been drafted by the interior ministry and is currently being reviewed by country's top legal experts. 

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