BFF-08 Hunt for survivors as Indonesian tsunami death toll tops 280

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Hunt for survivors as Indonesian tsunami death toll tops 280

CARITA, Indonesia, Dec 24, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Indonesian rescuers battled
heavy rains Monday in a desperate search for survivors after a volcano-
triggered tsunami killed at least 281 people, with experts warning the
devastated region could be slammed by more tidal waves.

The national disaster agency said casualty figures were set to rise as it
issued the fresh death toll — up from a previous 222 — and said more than
50 people were still missing.

Over 1,000 were injured in the disaster on Saturday evening, the agency
added.

“The number of victims and damage will continue to rise,” said disaster
agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

Rescue teams used diggers and other heavy equipment to haul debris from the
stricken area around the Sunda Strait on Monday, as thousands were evacuated
from the affected region.

“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.

Hundreds of buildings were destroyed by the wave, which hit the coast of
southern Sumatra and the western tip of Java around 9:30 pm (1430 GMT) on
Saturday after a volcano known as the “child” of the legendary Krakatoa
erupted.

The destructive wave left a trail of uprooted trees and debris strewn
across beaches. A tangled mess of corrugated steel roofing, timber and rubble
was dragged inland at Carita beach, a popular spot for day-trippers on the
west coast of Java.

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.

Dozens of victims were killed on the Sumatran coast.

– ‘Saw the water coming’ –

Indonesian president Joko Widodo was scheduled to visit the area Monday,
less than three months after a quake-tsunami killed thousands of people
around the city of Palu on Sulawesi island.

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.

Experts have said that Saturday’s rare volcano-sparked tsunami could have
been caused by an underwater collapse of part of the volcano.

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 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,” said Richard Teeuw of the
University of Portsmouth in England.

Unlike those caused by earthquakes, which trigger alert systems, these
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.”

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.

“It’s already raining heavily and the winds are strong so we’ve only got a
short timeframe to evacuate people and clean up,” said Indonesia’s public
works minister Basuki Hadimuljono.

BSS/AFP/GMR/0919 hrs