East Africa: The effect of the Asian tsunamis could be seen in flooded low-lying areas and extreme tides along the east African coast, 6,000 km away across the Indian Ocean yesterday.
The biggest earthquake in 40 years triggered a massive wall of water that raced across the Indian Ocean.
In countries stretching from the Horn of Africa, down to Tanzania and out into the Indian Ocean, lowland flooding and irregularly fast tidal changes were reported.
In the Seychelles, low-lying coastal roads were flooded by a two-metre surge and power to hundreds of homes was knocked off. At the airport, fire brigades were forced to wash dozens of fish off of the runway each time high tides sent water crashing on to the airfield.
Residents and tourists were warned to be ready to move to higher ground. Beaches at tourist resorts around Kenya's coastal town of Mombasa were closed because of the extreme tidal movements set off by the earthquake. "We have had four high tides and four low tides in the last six hours," a spokesman for the Turtle Bay resort in Malindi said, adding that the resort would remain shut until the water calmed. Mombasa's provincial police officer Mr Alex Ronor said: "We are monitoring the situation very closely, but we don't expect it to reach this far."
The British government warned its citizens in Madagascar, Mauritius, the Seychelles, Kenya and Tanzania to be alert.
In Somalia, strong waves and winds capsized boats and kept fishermen in port. "I do not know what to expect from the ocean," said a Somali fisherman in the coastal town of Adale, 56 km north of Mogadishu.
Mauritius seemed largely untouched by the post-quake surge.
The Maldives, a string of 1,192 coral atolls off the south-western coast of India, declared a state of emergency yesterday. Officials said 10 people were feared dead.
Seawater poured into the heavily built-up streets of Male, forcing residents to wade thigh-high to try and save their vehicles. The international airport was unusable. TV footage showed Maldivans wading through Male, picking up debris and garbage.
"The scale of the damage is such that we have decided to declare a state of emergency," government spokesman Ahmed Shaheed said. "Fatalities are feared to be 10, with around 30 injured," he added. - (Reuters)