Temporary tsunami alert system goes live

A temporary tsunami early warning system for the Indian Ocean came into operation yesterday.

So far only six countries in the region are in a position to receive the information from the new system. The six have not been named, but are believed to include Singapore and Sri Lanka. The plan is to extend the system to 25 countries, including Australia, India, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

In the aftermath of the December 26 tsunami the Indian Ocean countries agreed to set up their own early warning system.

But that could take years to set up, so the two most experienced existing tsunami warning centres - Japan's Meteorological Agency and the US' Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre - have stepped in and said they will provide temporary cover.