Fault line warning for Indian Ocean

The fault line that spawned the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami has ruptured nearly 20 times this month, with three strong quakes in the last 24 hours alone.

The activity shows the stress the seam is under and could be a warning of worse to come, scientists say.

Kerry Sieh, a US professor who has studied the fault for more than 10 years, likened the seam to a length of rope in an imaginary tug of war between a group of men and an elephant.

“One by one, two by two, the men are getting worn out and are letting go of the rope. That puts more stress on each of the remaining men,” he wrote.

“Who knows which one will let go next, or whether they will let go all at once?”