HONOLULU – Tsunami survivors and relatives of victims have sued the federal agency that operates the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (search), alleging the center did not do enough to warn people about the disaster.
The lawsuit was filed last week in New York (search) federal court by a plaintiffs group that includes at least 58 European survivors and family members of victims.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (search) Pacific Tsunami Warning Center monitors seismic and ocean conditions in the Pacific Basin and issues warnings to member nations. It is based on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.
NOAA officials refused to comment on the complaint but have previously said the center was not set up to warn nations outside the Pacific rim.
A Dec. 26 earthquake caused the massive tsunami that killed at least 166,000 people in 11 countries on the Indian Ocean.
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