Asia-Pacific

Tsunami wave to arrive in China, unlikely to cause disaster

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-02-28 14:00

BEIJING: China's State Oceanic Administration (SOA) forecasted that the tsunami wave triggered by 8.8-magnitude earthquake striking Chile on Saturday afternoon will arrive at the coast of China 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm Sunday, but is unlikely to cause disasters.

The SOA warned that the wave could build up when it hit the Chinese coastline, thus suggesting that ships go ashore rapidly or keep away from the coastal waters, and people in low-lying areas to relocate as soon as possible.

A tsunami wave about 1.8 meters high has been detected along the Chilean coast, 85 kilometers from the epicenter at about 5 pm (Beijing time) Saturday, according to the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center.

The tsunami wave is spreading with a speed of 400 kilometers to 800 kilometers per hour, the SOA said.

The administration's latest monitoring data showed that the wave is expected to hit Taiwan island at 2:00 pm, one hour before it affects the Chinese mainland.

The western Pacific countries such as Japan, China, the Philippines and Indonesia would be slightly affected by or not subject to any influence, due to the small wave amplitude that has already weakened to less than one meter when it arrived at Tonga 4:00 am, the SOA said.