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From: Jimbo October 26, 2010 |
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Photo: Theperfectwave.com.au
A surfing charter boat from The Perfect Wave travel
company. It's unknown if this boat is involved.
Photo: Theperfectwave.com.au
A surfer at YoYos on an undated trip with The
Perfect Wave travel company.
Photo: AP
Indonesians affected by the earthquake.
Photo: AP
The quake was centered 280 Km south of Padang
Photo: Adelaidenow.com
The missing boat - The Southern Cross
Photo: Adelaidenow.com
Missing Southern Cross skipper Chris Scurrah /
FacebookUPDATE: 11:50 AM - PST - MISSING SURF CHARTER BOAT REPORTED SAFE.
Initial reports indicated that ten surfers aboard the surf charter vessel Southern Cross skippered by Melbourne native Chris Scurrah may have fallen victim to the Tsunami have been proven false thankfully.
However 2 of 12 guests at Macaronis resort has reported two guests are still missing.
INITIAL REPORT: 4:55AM PST
A massive wall of water caused by a Tsunami from a 7.7 earthquake centered in Indonesia ripped through a bay in the Mentawai islands, destroying two charter boats filled with Australian surfers. A third boat is missing altogether.
The Perfect Wave surf travel company based in Australia runs surf charters throughout the south pacific and Indonesia issued a statement saying 32 of its clients were effected by the Tsunami.
According to multiple sources yesterday's earthquake near Sumatra sent a large 3 meter ( 9 ft) tsunami throughout the Mentawai island chain, ripping through a bay where two boats full of surfers where anchored.
The boats then collided, with one catching fire before 9 surf tourists and 5 crew jumped overboard before being washed over 200 meters into the jungle by the wave. Reports indicate they took shelter by climbing trees, waiting for 20 minutes to half an hour until the surges passed.
All survived.
The undersea quake hit at 9:42 pm (1442 GMT) at a depth of 20.6 kilometres (12.8 miles), 280 kilometres south of Padang on Sumatra island, the US Geological Survey said.
"We felt a bit of a shake underneath the boat... then within several minutes we heard an almighty roar," said Rick Hallet, an Australian who operates a boat-chartering business in Sumatra.
"I immediately thought of a tsunami and looked out to sea and that's when we saw the wall of white water coming at us," he said.
The third boat carrying 9 Australians and a Japanese national is not accounted for.
"We are sending a boat and a chartered plane to search for the boat," said Andrew Judge of SurfAid International.
It was reportedly not equipped with a satellite telephone but SurfAid's Dave Jenkins said its Australian captain had "been around here for a long time. He knew to contact in if he could. So that's why we're extra concerned."
According to AdelaideNow.com the missing boat is the Southern Cross skippered by Melbourne man Chris Scurrah and Japanese man Akinori Fujita.
Also missing are former New South Wales MP and Mayor of Pittwater Alex McTaggart, Gary Mountford, Chris Papallo, Jeff Annesley, Chris Scurrah, Colin Steele, Steve Reynolds, Neil Cox and several crewmen.
Another guide from Marcaronis resort said, "there was a lot of debris floating in the water including bar stools and other pieces of furniture from Macaronis Resort," the company said. "No news on the state of the village at Silabu."
The resort, where six clients were staying, is "all but gone," the statement said. However, its staff and guests were all reported safe.
At least 40 dead and 380 are reported missing.
An official from Indonesia's Disaster Management Agency said,"Ten villages have been swept away by the tsunami."
Sources:
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