BANGKOK: An evacuation order has been issued for six southern provinces of Thailand, following an earthquake which struck Sumatera today.
The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office issued the order for Krabi, Phuket, Phangga, Satul, Ranong and Trang provinces.
The earthquake, measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale, was reported in Sumatera and the tremor was felt in the six provinces of Thailand at 4.53pm (Malaysian time: 5.53pm).
Krabi, Phuket and Phangga are major tourist destinations while Ranong houses car manufacturing plants and car component manufacturing plants.
Phuket International Airport has been temporary closed at the moment.
According to unconfirmed reports, water level at the Patong beach in Phuket has subsided, signaling a possible tsunami.
Thailand has a tsunami contingency plan in place, after Phuket, Khaolak and Phi Phi Island, all in southern Thailand, were hard hit by tsunami on Dec 26, 2004. – Bernama