Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre withdraws alert

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre cancelled the tsunami watch which had been issued across all countries along the Indian Ocean following a massive earthquake near Indonesia.A tsunami warning was issued to 28 countries including India in the wake of the quake. The warning was then extended for a further two hours when a second quake measuring 8.2 struck off the coast of Sumatra.[caption id="attachment_272865" align="alignleft" width="380" caption="People at a Kolkata office following tremors today. PTI"][/caption]"Sea levels now indicate that the threat has diminished or is over for most areas. Therefore, the tsunami watch issued by this centre is now cancelled," the agency said in its statement.For any of the affected areas since no major waves had occurred for two hours after the earthquake then local authorities can assume that the threat has passed, it stated.However, boats and structures along the coast could be at risk for several hours due to strong currents and local authorities had to assess the situation on ground, the agency stated.The Japan Meteorological Agency could issue additional information and if there was any conflicting information the more conservative information should be considered, the statement said.