Indonesian sea villages rendered unsafe by vandalism | Irish Sun

Indonesian sea villages rendered unsafe by vandalism

Irish Sun Saturday 14th April, 2012

• Tsunami early warning system regarded as unsafe

• Thieves and vandals put villagers at risk

• Only three warning buoys now work

Indonesia's tsunami early warning system has been rendered unsafe by thieves.

Officials from the Indonesian National Disaster Mitigation Agency have revealed that some of the tidal buoys and seismic monitors are out of action due to theft or vandalism.

Fishermen have also been blamed for using the buoys to secure their vessels.

Last week many early warning stations were out of action when an 8.6-magnitude quake struck off Sumatra island.

Ten people died in the earthquake.

Although little damage was reported, many water buoys which had been destroyed failed to send warning signals.

A tsunami warning was received from a seismograph but officials were unable to determine if large waves were imminent.

Only three of 25 buoys in Indonesian waters are reported to be working.

The US has been contacted by the Indonesian authorities for supply of deeper-water equipment to prevent further problems.