PANDEGLANG:A tsunami killed at least 222 people and injured hundreds on the Indonesianislands of Java and Sumatra following an underwater landslide believed causedby the erupting Anak Krakatau volcano, officials and media said today. Hundredsof homes and other buildings were "heavily damaged” when the tsunami struck,almost without warning, along the rim of the Sunda Strait late on Saturday,Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the disaster mitigation agency, said.
Thousandsof residents were forced to evacuate to higher ground. By 1040 GMT, thedisaster agency had raised the death toll to 222 from 168, with 843 injured and28 missing. TV images showed the seconds when the tsunami hit the beach andresidential areas in Pandeglang on Java island, dragging with it victims,debris, and large chunks of wood and metal. Coastal residents reported notseeing or feeling any warning signs, such as receding water or an earthquake,before waves of 2-3 meters washed ashore, according to media.
Authoritiessaid a warning siren went off in some areas. The timing of the tsunami, overthe Christmas holiday season, evoked memories of the Indian Oceantsunami triggered by an earthquake on Dec. 26 in 2004, which killed 226,000people in 13 countries, including more than 120,000 in Indonesia. Oystein LundAndersen, a Norwegian holidaymaker, was in Anyer town with his family whenSaturday’s tsunami struck.
"Ihad to run, as the wave passed the beach and landed 15-20 meters inland. Nextwave entered the hotel area where I was staying and downed cars on the roadbehind it,” he said on Facebook. "Managed to evacuate with my family to higherground through forest paths and villages, where we are taken care of by thelocals.”
Evacuationwarning
Authoritieswarned residents and tourists in coastal areas around the Sunda Strait to stayaway from beaches and a high-tide warning remained in place through until Dec.25. "Those who have evacuated, please do not return yet,” said Rahmat Triyono,an official at the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).
PresidentJoko Widodo, who is running for re-election in April, said on Twitter that hehad "ordered all relevant government agencies to immediately take emergencyresponse steps, find victims and care for the injured”. Vice President JusufKalla told a news conference the death toll would "likely increase”. Saturday’stsunami was the latest in a series of tragedies that have struck Indonesia, avast archipelago, this year.
Successiveearthquakes flattened parts of the tourist island of Lombok, and a doublequake-and-tsunami killed thousands on Sulawesi island. Nearly 200 people diedwhen a Lion Air passenger plane crashed into the Java Sea in October. Rescueworkers and ambulances were finding it difficult to reach affected areasbecause some roads were blocked by debris from damaged houses, overturned carsand fallen trees. The western coast of Banten province in Java was theworst-hit area, Nugroho told reporters in Yogyakarta. He said at least 35people were reported dead in Lampung in southern Sumatra.
Thewaves washed away an outdoor stage where a local rock band was performing inTanjung Lesung in Banten province, a popular tourist getaway not far from thecapital, Jakarta, killing at least one musician. Others were missing. Around250 employees of the state utility company PLN had gathered in Tanjung Lesungfor an end-of-year event, company spokesman I Made Suprateka told Reuters. Atleast seven people were killed, and around 89 are missing, he said. Dramatic TVfootage showed the seconds when the tsunami hit a concert at the event andwashed away the stage where the band, Seventeen, was performing.
Washedaway
"Thewater washed away the stage which was located very close to the sea,” the bandsaid in a statement. "The water rose and dragged away everyone at the location.We have lost loved ones, including our bassist and manager ... and others aremissing.” Police officers rescued a young boy who was trapped in a car buriedunder fallen trees and rubble, according to a video of his rescue posted onTwitter by the Indonesian National Police, who did not give any information asto the boy’s identity.
Officialswere trying to determine the exact cause of the disaster. Anak Krakatau, anactive volcano roughly halfway between Java and Sumatra, has been spewing ashand lava for months. It erupted again just after 9 pm on Saturday and thetsunami struck at around 9.30 p.m., according to BMKG. The tsunami was causedby "an undersea landslide resulting from volcanic activity on Anak Krakatau”and was exacerbated by abnormally high tide because of the full moon, Nugrohosaid.
Benvan der Pluijm, an earthquake geologist and a professor in the University ofMichigan, said the tsunami may have been caused by a "partial collapse” of AnakKrakatau. "Instability of the slope of an active volcano can create a rockslide that moves a large volume of water, creating local tsunami waves that canbe very powerful. This is like suddenly dropping a bag of sand in a tub filledwith water,” he said. The eruption of Krakatau, previously known as Krakatoa,in 1883 killed more than 36,000 people in a series of tsunamis.
AnakKrakatau is the island that emerged from the area once occupied by Krakatau,which was destroyed in 1883. It first appeared in 1927 and has been growing eversince. Neighboring Malaysia and Australia both said they were ready to provideassistance if needed.—Reuters
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