New Delhi: A tsunami killed at least 222 people and injured hundreds on the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra following an underwater landslide believed to have been caused by the erupting Anak Krakatau volcano, officials said on Sunday.
Hundreds of homes and other buildings were “heavily damaged” when the tsunami struck along the rim of the Sunda Strait late on Saturday, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the disaster mitigation agency, said.
Thousands of residents were forced to evacuate to higher ground. There was no estimate on the number of missing.
A resident searches for items among the ruins of a villa after the area was hit by a tsunami, at Carita beach in Padeglang, Banten province, Indonesia, December 23, 2018 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Credit: Antara Foto/Asep Fathulrahman/ via REUTERS
Residents inspect body bags as they search for family members outside a local health centre following a tsunami at Panimbang district in Pandeglang, Banten province, Indonesia, December 23, 2018. Credit: REUTERS/Adi Kurniawan
On December 26, 2004, an Indian Ocean tsunami triggered by an earthquake killed 226,000 people in 13 countries, including more than 120,000 in Indonesia.
The eruption of Krakatau in 1883 killed more than 36,000 people in a series of tsunamis. Anak Krakatau 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 ever since.
Saturday’s tsunami was the latest in a series of tragedies that have struck Indonesia this year. Successive earthquakes flattened parts of the tourist island of Lombok, and a double quake-and-tsunami killed thousands on Sulawesi island. Nearly 200 people died when a Lion Air passenger plane crashed into the Java Sea in October.
Residents collect debris from their collapsed house after it was hit by a tsunami at Panimbang district in Pandeglang, Banten province, Indonesia, December 23, 2018, in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Credit: Antara Foto/Muhammad Bagus Khoirunas/ via REUTERS
Authorities warned residents and tourists in coastal areas around the Sunda Strait to stay away from beaches and a high-tide warning remained in place through till December 25. “Those who have evacuated, please do not return yet,” said Rahmat Triyono, an official at the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).
President Joko Widodo, who is running for re-election in April, said on Twitter that he had “ordered all relevant government agencies to immediately take emergency response steps, find victims and care for the injured”. Vice president Jusuf Kalla told a news conference the death toll would “likely increase”.
A local walks near her damaged house hit by the tsunami at Tanjung Lesung district in Pandeglang, Banten province, Indonesia, December 23, 2018 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Credit: Antara Foto/Muhammad Bagus Khoirunas/ via REUTERS
A rescue team member examines damages caused by a tsunami in Banten province, Indonesia, December 23, 2018 in this picture obtained from social media. Credit: BASARNAS/via REUTERS
Coastal residents reported not seeing or feeling any warning signs, like receding water or an earthquake, before waves of up to two metres washed ashore, according to media. But authorities said a warning siren went off in some areas.
Officials have been trying to determine the exact cause of the Tsunami. Anak Krakatau, an active volcano roughly halfway between Java and Sumatra, has been spewing ash and lava for months. It erupted again just after 9 pm on Saturday and the tsunami struck at around 9:30 pm, according to BMKG.
The tsunami was caused by “an undersea landslide resulting from volcanic activity on Anak Krakatau” and was exacerbated by abnormally high tide because of the full moon, Nugroho said.
A soldier examines as he takes care of a local resident who was injured following a tsunami which hit at Tanjung Lesung district in Pandeglang, Banten province, Indonesia, December 23, 2018 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Credit: Antara Foto/Muhammad Bagus Khoirunas/ via REUTERS
Neighbouring Malaysia and Australia both said they were ready to provide assistance if needed.
(WIth agency inputs)