Hundreds Dead in Indonesian Tsunami

More than 200 people died and at least 28 are missing in a tsunami apparently triggered by a volcano that hit coastal areas of Indonesia’s Sunda Strait, officials said Sunday.

All the dead accounted for thus far are Indonesian, including members of a band that was in the midst of performing at a beach resort when waves suddenly slammed the stage at 9:27 p.m. local time on Saturday.

“Tsunami victims in the Sunda Strait continue to increase: 222 people died, 843 are injured and 28 have disappeared,” the information chief of Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said in a statement.

The numbers were likely to rise as not all affected areas had reported information, he said. The disaster struck three months after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit Central Sulawesi province on Sept. 28, killing more than 2,000.

This time the tsunami, which was generated in waters between the islands of Sumatra and Java, is thought to have been caused by a volcanic eruption triggering an underwater landslide, which displaced water and produced the massive waves, officials said.

“This tsunami was not caused by an earthquake. No tectonic activity was detected. It is possible this tsunami occurred due to an underwater landslide resulting from the eruption of Anak Krakatau,” Sutopo said Saturday.

Full story: BenarNews

Keisyah Aprilia
Pandeglang, Indonesia