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Quake triggers panic

TOKYO: An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 was registered off the South Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, the U.S. Geological Survey reported on Monday. There were no immediate reports of a tsunami, but news of the quake prompted thousands of residents along the coast of Sri Lanka — thousands of miles away — to flee toward land, officials said. The quake struck at 5:10 a.m. local time (0610 GMT), and was centred 10 km under the seabed some 345 km southeast of Bristol Island of the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands — an overseas territory of Britain also claimed by Argentina — the survey said on its Web site. Underwater quakes at shallow depths can cause tsunami waves, which are often barely noticeable in the ocean but can rise to great heights once they arrive at shore. — AP

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