Taken from here.
COLOMBO – The Indian Ocean tourist paradise of the Maldives was hit by tidal waves that flooded two thirds of the capital island, Male, and shut the international airport, the government said.
A statement from the Maldivian government said there were reports of casualties, but gave no figures. The tidal waves were triggered by a powerful earthquake that struck an island off Indonesia.
However, the government said two thirds of the capital was under about four feet (1.2 meters) of water in some areas. About a third of the country s 330,000 population live in the highly congested capital island.
From about 9:00 am (0400 GMT) in the morning, the capital, Male, and other parts of the country have been flooded by the tsunami caused by the earthquakes in the eastern Indian ocean, the statement said.
Sri Lanka s international airport said they were told by the authorities in the Maldives that tidal waves had flooded the Hululle airport island and the runway was closed indefinitely, cutting off air transport to the Maldives.
Maldives is a cluster of 1,192 tiny coral islands scattered some 800 kilometres (500 miles) across the equator and is vulnerable to any rise in sea levels.
The fate of tens of thousands of tourists in the Maldives was not immediately known.
My sister and her family live in Male. We can’t reach them.
