Sri Lanka's meterological department said it was maintaining an alert and told residents in coastal areas to keep vigil following a fresh tsunami warning issued in Indonesia on Thursday, according to DPA. Director of the Meterological Department GHP Dharmaratna said they have stopped short of issuing a tsunami warning, but want people living in coastal areas to be alert of the situation. On Wednesday night a tsunami warning issued in Sri Lanka was called off, but tension remained overnight with some people who fled their homes staying in safe locations, including schools and government buildings. The initial warning came from the Disaster Management Centre after a powerful 8.2 earthquake was reported from southern Sumatra, Indonesia. On Thursday morning a magnitude 7.8 on the Richter scale struck at 6:49 am (2349 GMT Wednesday) in southern Sumatra. During the December 26, 2004 tsunami which hit Indonesia, Thailand, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka, at least 40,000 Sri Lankans were killed and more than 1 million displaced.
