ZCZC
BFF-15
INDONESIA-DISASTER-TSUNAMI-VOLCANO-2NDLEAD
Hunt for survivors as Indonesian tsunami death toll tops 280
CARITA, Indonesia, Dec 24, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Indonesian rescuers raced to
find survivors Monday after a volcano-triggered tsunami killed at least 281
people, with experts warning the devastated region could be slammed by more
deadly waves.
Rescue teams used their bare hands, diggers and other heavy equipment to
haul debris from the stricken area around the Sunda Strait, as thousands were
evacuated to higher ground.
The powerful tsunami struck without any warning on Saturday night, sweeping
over popular beaches of southern Sumatra and the western tip of Java and
inundating tourist hotels and coastal settlements.
More than 1,000 people were injured and the death toll “will continue to
rise”, said disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.
Hundreds of buildings were destroyed by the wave that left a tangled mess
of corrugated steel roofing, timber and rubble at Carita beach, a popular
spot for day-trippers on the west coast of Java.
“The military and police are searching the ruins to see if we can find more
victims,” said Dody Ruswandi, a senior official at the disaster agency,
adding that the rescue effort was likely to last a week.
In devastated Sukarame village, Sunarti waded through knee-deep water as
she searched for belongings outside her destroyed house — and waited for aid
to arrive.
“There’s been no help at all so far,” the 61-year-told AFP from the
flattened hamlet.
“Some people are starving.”
Indonesian president Joko Widodo visited the area Monday.
It was the third major natural disaster to strike Indonesia in the space of
six months, following a series of powerful earthquakes on the island of
Lombok in July and August and a quake-tsunami in September that killed around
2,200 people in Palu on Sulawesi island, with thousands more missing and
presumed dead.
The vast archipelago nation is one of the most disaster-prone nations on
Earth due to its position straddling the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire,
where tectonic plates collide.
– ‘Saw the water coming’ –
Experts say Saturday’s tsunami was likely triggered by a massive underwater
landslide following an eruption of the Anak Krakatoa volcano in the Sunda
Strait.
Unlike those caused by earthquakes, which trigger alert systems, such
tsunamis give authorities very little time to warn residents of the impending
threat.
“It happened very quickly,” said survivor Ade Junaedi.
“I was chatting with a guest at our place when my wife opened the door and
she suddenly screamed in panic. I thought there was a fire, but when I walked
to the door I saw the water coming.”
Richard Teeuw, a geohazard expert from the University of Portsmouth in
England, said the eruption and landslide may well have destabilised the
volcano, heightening the risk of another tsunami.
“The likelihood of further tsunamis in the Sunda Strait will remain high
while Anak Krakatoa volcano is going through its current active phase because
that might trigger further submarine landslides,” Teeuw said.
Dramatic video posted on social media showed a wall of water suddenly
crashing into a concert by pop group “Seventeen” — hurling band members off
the stage and then flooding into the audience.
Two band members were killed along with its manager, while three others,
including the lead singer’s wife, are missing.
Front man Riefian Fajarsyah posted a picture online of he and his wife
kissing in Paris with the Eiffel Tower in the background.
“Today is your birthday — I want wish you a happy birthday in person. Come
home soon, honey,” he wrote in the caption of the photo, which was posted
Sunday.
Anak Krakatoa, which forms a small island in the Sunda Strait between Java
and Sumatra, emerged around 1928 in the crater left by Krakatoa, whose
massive eruption in 1883 killed at least 36,000 people and affected global
weather patterns for years.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said
the “powerful waves” reached a height of 30-90 centimetres (1-3 feet).
Oxfam and other international aid agencies said they would help in the
aftermath, as local rescuers evacuated the injured and set up tarpaulins to
provide shelter.
BSS/AFP/MR/ 1120 hrs