Death
toll from a tsunami that hit the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra
after the Anak Krakatau volcano erupted, has risen to at least
280 officials said. They added that rescuers are using heavy
machinery and their bare hands to search for more victims. Hundreds more
were injured when the tsunami struck, almost without warning, along the
rim of the Sunda Strait late on Saturday. Over 3,000 coastal residents
were forced to evacuate to higher ground, with a high-tide warning in
place until Tuesday. The vast archipelago, which sits on the Pacific
“Ring of Fire”, has suffered its worst annual death toll from disasters
in more than a decade. Earthquakes flattened parts of the tourist island
of Lombok in July and August, and a double quake-and-tsunami killed
more than 2,000 people on Sulawesi island in September. Search and
rescue officials used their bare hands and some heavy machinery to clear
the remains of buildings on Monday. Indonesia’s disaster agency had put
the death toll at 222 on Sunday, with about 850 injured and 28 people
missing, but raised it to 280 early on Monday. A disaster mitigation
agency official in Banten province named Jhony told reporters most
victims were Indonesian holidaymakers. The timing of the tsunami over
the Christmas holiday season evoked memories of the Indian Ocean tsunami
triggered by an earthquake on Dec. 26, 2004, which killed 226,000
people in 14 countries, including more than 120,000 in Indonesia.Update: Death toll from Indonesia tsunami rises to 280
Death
toll from a tsunami that hit the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra
after the Anak Krakatau volcano erupted, has risen to at least
280 officials said. They added that rescuers are using heavy
machinery and their bare hands to search for more victims. Hundreds more
were injured when the tsunami struck, almost without warning, along the
rim of the Sunda Strait late on Saturday. Over 3,000 coastal residents
were forced to evacuate to higher ground, with a high-tide warning in
place until Tuesday. The vast archipelago, which sits on the Pacific
“Ring of Fire”, has suffered its worst annual death toll from disasters
in more than a decade. Earthquakes flattened parts of the tourist island
of Lombok in July and August, and a double quake-and-tsunami killed
more than 2,000 people on Sulawesi island in September. Search and
rescue officials used their bare hands and some heavy machinery to clear
the remains of buildings on Monday. Indonesia’s disaster agency had put
the death toll at 222 on Sunday, with about 850 injured and 28 people
missing, but raised it to 280 early on Monday. A disaster mitigation
agency official in Banten province named Jhony told reporters most
victims were Indonesian holidaymakers. The timing of the tsunami over
the Christmas holiday season evoked memories of the Indian Ocean tsunami
triggered by an earthquake on Dec. 26, 2004, which killed 226,000
people in 14 countries, including more than 120,000 in Indonesia.
