Tourism

Tourists evacuated from beaches in tsunami scare

German tourists on holiday in Thailand were among thousands evacuated from the beaches and taken to high ground after an enormous undersea earthquake in the Indian Ocean prompted a tsunami alarm.

Earthquakes

Scientists voyage to tsunami epicentre

German scientists on Thursday joined a mission to the seabed off Japan where a massive quake triggered last year's devastating tsunami, to get their first proper look at the buckled ocean floor.

maritime

Broken tsunami warning system wastes millions

Germany has invested €45 million in a network of buoys that are supposed to warn Asians of an impending tsunami. But they don't work and even if they did they might be useless, according to news reports.

thailand

Former Beluga manager accused of stealing orphan school donations

Former owner of the bankrupt Beluga shipping firm Niels Stolberg has been accused of funnelling money donated to rebuild a school in Thailand after the 2004 tsunami in Asia into his company’s coffers as he battled to keep it afloat.

rescue

THW team ends rescue operation in Japan

The German emergency relief agency, the Technisches Hilfswerk (THW), has ended its search-and-rescue operation in Japan following Friday's earthquake and tsunami. A spokesman said there is almost no chance of finding more survivors.

Tourism

Deadly tsunami injures at least one German tourist

At least one German tourist has been injured in a tsunami that killed more than 100 on the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific, honorary consul Arne Schreiber told broadcaster WDR on Wednesday.