Malta urged to keep a better look-out for tsunami

Malta has so far taken its protection from natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis for granted, an international body has warned.
Lassina Zerbo, the executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) said the country should step up its monitoring of earthquakes and tsunamis.

A CTBTO delegation was in Malta to encourage the government to establish a 24/7 monitoring system that gathers data about potential natural disasters.
“The last tsunami in this region dates back to 1908 – that is long ago, but you never know when a tsunami will hit,” he said.
“It could happen in the next hour, we do not know. An earthquake in Greece or France can affect Malta,” Mr Zarbo said.
The University of Malta currently has its own seismic monitoring and research group, but Mr Zerbo is concerned this is not being monitored constantly.
“Malta has an earthquake monitoring centre at the university, but that earthquake centre is not functional 24/7,” Mr Zerbo said.
The CTBTO has an international monitoring system that is made of seismic sensors, distributed around the globe.
“Using that information, Malta can gather information and give it to a centre for...