Update from BBC.com: Lethal quake rattles tsunami zone
We interrupt this blog to bring you a Newsflash. This just in via SMS from Faith-T, who lives in Punggol:
Faith-T: oh my gosh, I felt a tremor! Our block vibrated! now i'm standing around with a whole bunch of neighbours on the ground floor... Jimmy thinks its fun. I freaked
Me: That's what happens when you live in Mordor. Haha. I'm so going to blog this.
Faith-T: Yes. You blog it cuz i'm too freaked to go back into my home... i'm standing here watching more and more ppl congregate. Even seng kang felt it.
Me: Wow. Nuts. Hope it is not a big one.
Faith-T: well, its getting the neighbours talking to each other... Building social defence. lol. The dogs are barking non stop. Right now all those shows abt animal instincts is so coming back to haunt me and wierding me out. seems its quite a big shake... Got ppl saying their stuff was shaking and swaying. and i thought it was my cat playing under my bed again. Super strong kitty.
Me: Wow. If you have pictures of the crowd, email me. Too bad you cannot send me a camera phone shot. Maybe an MMS?
Faith-T: Ha ha we dont have mms phone. Lol. Very suaku one. Ppl starting to go home.
Me: Sigh. Like that how to capture the news? Haha. Time to buy new phone, you two.
Faith-T: I know! Tell me about it. Ok home now... See lah, i missed the end of frasier...
Me: Ya, glad you know you got your priorities right. Haha. End of frasier more important than end of life. Heheh.
Faith-T: Muahahaha! That's it, I'm going to buy a camera phone... tt can send email. Then can oblog like d big shot bloggers. This has been a life changing experience...
So far, no news on the regular news sites (not even "Must pay then can read" Online).
Nash_1126 of SPUG (Singapore Palm User's Group) forums reported the first tremors with a "Earthquake!!!!!: My block is shaking!!!!!!!"
cck, another SPUG member, said "hmm, didnt feel anything. Maybe i did, and thought it was part of CS (Counterstrike)!"
NEA has a brief update on this:
"The tremors felt in Singapore at 12:10 a.m. on 29 March 2005 were due to an earthquake that occurred in Southwestern Sumatra, approximately 600 km west southwest of Singapore. The magnitude of the earthquake is 8.2 on the Richter Scale. The epicentre is located at Latitude 2.1S and Longitude 97.0E."
MSNBC: 8.2 earthquake registered off Sumatra
"Magnitude is nearly as large as tsunami quake
BREAKING NEWS
MSNBC staff and news service reports
Updated: 12:09 p.m. ET March 28, 2005
A large earthquake was registered Monday off Indonesia's Sumatra Island, the U.S. Geological Survey reported, describing it as a "great earthquake" with a magnitude of 8.2 on the Richter scale."
Technorati tag: north sumatra earthquake