Monday 19 June 2017

Tsunami in Greenland!!

I hardly need to point out what this means.

Earthquake & tsunami cause major flooding in Greenland

Earthquake & tsunami cause major flooding in Greenland (VIDEO)


RT,
18 June, 2017

The western coast of Greenland has been struck with a 4.0 magnitude earthquake, triggering a tsunami that swept away several houses in coastal villages. At least four people are feared missing, as a rescue mission in the village hardest hit by waves is under way, local police reports.

The settlement of Nuugaatsiaq suffered the most, with 11 houses being washed away and the community being left with no electricity. With a registered population of 101, 78 people have been evacuated to the town of Uummannaq, the Greenlandic Broadcasting Corporation (KNR) reported, citing police officials.


Two people sustained serious injuries, and seven others less serious injuries, police said. The remaining 23 people may be on vacation, or have gone fishing or hunting, police chief Bjørn Tegner Bay said, adding he couldn’t confirm whether there have been any fatalities

Police urged the citizens of Illorsuit, which also saw the large waves, to return to their homes, but warned of sirens that would signal people to seek higher ground in case of aftershocks.

, hit early June 19 on 's NW coast near Uummannaq. More details on our Facebook page. (PHOTO/)

It’s not normal that we have such large quakes in Greenland,” said Trine Dahl Jensen, a senior researcher at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), as quoted by Aftenposten.

Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen offered his sympathies to his Greenlandic counterpart, Kim Kielsen, over what he called “a terrible natural disaster” in his Twitter account.

With a population of some 56,000 people, Greenland, the world’s largest island, has a vast ice sheet which covers around 80 percent of its area and is particularly affected by climate change.

Tsunami waves damage some villages on the Greenland coast - 4 people missing, 9 injured (2 serious)



Last update: June 18, 2017 at 1:54 pm by By Armand Vervaeck

This damage was detected by our colleagues of the 2017 Earthquake Impact Database - EID on Google Docs - Like EID on Facebook

Message to people from Greenland : We have noticed that Greenlanders are reading this article too. We have opened the comment section below to give you the possibility to share your experience or those from family members who experienced the tsunami + eventual additional information you may have heard on the Greenland TV and radio. We would really appreciate you comment. Thank you

Update 12:40 UTC: 78 people have been evacuated from the village of Nuugaatsiaq

The Danish authorities did report that 4 people are still missing and that 2 people were seriously injured. 7 others sustained slight injuries.

11 houses haven swept in the water and are gone.

At the moment of the tsunami 101 people lived in Nuugaatsiaq. 23 people are still in the village, the rest has been evacuated to Uummannaq.

Although we have no registered earthquake in the area, the Danish seismological service GEUS has confirmed to the Danish press that a M4.0 earthquake occurred in Greenland. Several villages have been inundated by the water. One of them the village of Nuugaatsiaq (see picture) 30 km south of the epicenter of the M4 earthquake.

The Danish police gives only limited information as they are trying to find out what exactly happened and how many villages sustained damage.

Shortly after the news reached Denmark, the authorities have requested the population to go for higher ground.

Greenland had similar tsunamis in the past. They were often caused by land- or seaslides.

Except for the material damage, there is no news of injuries or fatalities but nothing can be excluded at the moment.

The Greenland coast is sparsely populated.
Schermafbeelding 2017-06-18 om 10.30.42

Update 13:11 UTC: The video below shows another wave of water swelling into the village. Although the video does not give additional details, we believe that this swelling is not the destructive tsunami. the hurling sounds of animals is from the huskies who are used by the Greenlanders for hunting. As per my earlier visit to Ittoqotoormit, Greenland i remember that these huskies are fixed to anchors, so it would not surprise me that some dogs may have been killed by the water too.




The Google Earth map below shows the steep cliffs in the surrounding sounds. Additionally the village of Nuugaatsiaq is located on a plateau with steep cliffs in the background.

Schermafbeelding 2017-06-18 om 11.25.08

Update 09:56 UTC: The population of the village of Nuugaatsiaq (2010 census 84 inhabitants) have now all been evacuated to the town of Uummannaq (1200 inhabitants) as the authorities do fear for aftershocks who can generate additional land- or seaslides.

Update 09:58 UTC: The probable epicenter location of the earthquake in on the below photo (we projected 30 km North of Nuugaatsiaq on the map). The Danish seismological service GEUS had the data but is probably NOT working on a Sunday as we cannot gather more precise information or news in their website!

Schermafbeelding 2017-06-18 om 12.07.48
 

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