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TSUNAMI-HITS-INDONESIA
At least 43 killed, 584 injured as tsunami hits Indonesia’s Sunda Strait
JAKARTA, Dec. 23, 2018 (BSS/Xinhua) – At least 43 people were killed, 584
others wounded as a tsunami triggered by the eruption of the Krakatau Child
volcano destroyed 430 houses and scores of buildings in coastal areas of
Sunda Strait of western Indonesia, spokesman of national disaster management
agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said on Sunday.
The eruption of the Krakatau Child volcano most likely triggered landslides
at the sea bed that culminated to a tsunami, which was emboldened by the
effect of full moon, at 21:27 p.m. Jakarta time (1427 GMT), the meteorology
and geophysics agency said.
Head of the meteorology and geophysics agency Dwikorita Karnawati said that
the tsunami was triggered by the eruption of the Krakatau Child volcano.
“We predicted that the impact could be directly or indirectly, there was a
possibility of landslides under the sea bed,” she told a press conference.
The tsunami struck coastal areas of Sunda Strait, including Pandeglang and
Serang districts of Banten province and south Lampung of Lampung province,
disaster management and mitigation agency said.
In Pandeglang district, the tsunami appeared with the height of four to
five meters, leaving at least 17 people dead and scores others missing and at
least 40 suffering from serious injury, said Endang Permana, head of
emergency department of disaster management agency in the district.
“Many people were missing, they were swept by waves when they were watching
a performance in the coastal area,” Permana told Xinhua over phone from the
district.
In Lampung Selatan district, evacuation of those under the rubble of
collapsed buildings and search for missing persons who were swept by waves
during the tsunami are underway, said Ketut Sukerta, head of the disaster
management agency in the district.
“Over 100 buildings were collapsed, we are now attempting to rescue the
people trapped under the rubble and to find those swept by the waves,” he
told Xinhua by phone from Lampung Selatan district.
BSS/Xinhua/MSY/0803 hrs