Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Lisa Martin and Naaman Zhou (earlier)

Indonesia tsunami 2018: death toll rises to 281 after Sunda Strait disaster – as it happened

Summary: Desperate search for survivors continues in Indonesia

  • The death toll from the volcano-triggered tsunami has reached at least 281 people.
  • 1,016 were injured, 57 are missing and 11,687 have been displaced.
  • Indonesian rescuers are scrambling with diggers and other heavy equipment and even their bare hands, trying to free survivors from the rubble.
  • More than 600 homes and more than 400 boats and ships were damaged.

Updated

It could be some time before scientists know exactly what caused the Sunda Strait tsunami.

University of Melbourne associate professor David Kennedy says it’s too dangerous to undertake sonar monitoring at the moment.

He says the work can be done by relatively small, 10-metre vessels using multi-beam sonars which are basically a more powerful version of a “fish finder”.

Some scientific consensus is emerging, based on satellite images, that the collapse of a portion of the volcano triggered the killer waves.

Reuters is reporting that images captured by the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 satellite showed that a large portion on the southern flank of the volcano slid off into the ocean.

“Underwater landside is the leading theory,” GNS Science seismologist Sam Taylor-Offord says.

Here’s some extraordinary footage circulating on social media of the massive ash cloud from the Krakatau eruption taken from the cockpit of a Susi Air plane.

Updated

Lisa Martin here, taking over the blog from my colleague Naaman Zhou.

To recap the death toll from the tsunami has reached 281.

The Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, has been choppered in to the disaster zone.

He has been comforting survivors at hospitals in the Pandeglang area.

Updated

More sad news from the singer of band Seventeen.

He writes: “Bani will be buried at 1:00 p.m. in Gamping. Herman will be buried today at Tidore. Oki will be buried at 16.00 in Krapyak. Ujang was buried this afternoon in Ciledug.”

His wife is still missing.

The Indonesian Red Cross are also on the scene and have released this video. “Water levels are still high”, they warn. Residents should stay away from the coast.

Indonesian president Joko Widodo is visiting the affected area now. “We request prayers from all over the country so that we are all given salvation, patience and strength,” he says.

Some more footage from the ministry of disaster relief.

Indonesian aid personnel work to recover victims and help survivors after the Sunda Strait tsunami.
Indonesian aid personnel work to recover victims and help survivors after the Sunda Strait tsunami. Photograph: Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management
Indonesian aid personnel work to recover victims and help survivors after the Sunda Strait tsunami.
Indonesian aid personnel work to recover victims and help survivors after the Sunda Strait tsunami. Photograph: Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management

The Indonesian Medical Association is sending more doctors and surgeons to the area as many of those injured “are in need of orthopedic and neurosurgery expertise”.

According to Associated Press, the medical association also says most patients are domestic tourists who were visiting the beach on a long weekend.

What we know so far

It’s 9.30am in Jakarta and here are the latest developments from today:

  • The death toll has risen to 281, with over 1,000 people injured and 11,600 people displaced.
  • The district of Pandeglang was worst hit, with 207 killed and 755 injured.
  • The tsunami struck on Saturday night after an underwater landslide caused by eruptions from the Anak Krakatau volcano.
  • The spokesman for Indonesia’s disaster agency called for a new early warning system, because the current system cannot detect tsunamis caused by landslides.
  • He added that Indonesia’s tsunami buoy network hasn’t been operational since 2012, due to “vandalism” and “a limited budget”.
  • More members of rock band Seventeen, who were filmed on stage when the tsunami hit, were announced as dead, while others are still missing.

Updated

Death toll rises to 281

The death toll has risen again with the latest update. It now stands at:

  • 281 dead
  • 1,016 injured
  • 57 missing
  • 11,687 displaced

There have also been 611 damaged houses, 60 damaged shops and 420 damaged vessels.

Five districts were affected: Pandeglang, Serang, South Lampung, Tanggamus and Pesawaran. The highest casualties were in Pandeglang where 207 people died and 755 were injured.

“Evacuation, search and rescue of victims continues,” Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said. “Allegedly there are still victims who are under the rubble of buildings and material washed away by the tsunami.”

Rescue efforts continue.

For more on how Saturday’s tsunami formed, our full report has an interview with University of Queensland volcanologist Teresa Ubide.

It seems like the volcano is active at the moment and it may happen again. The volcano is very close to the shoreline so … there wouldn’t be much time to warn [people] because it’s close and the tsunamis can travel very fast.

Updated

Volcanist Dr Janine Krippner has analysed those new photos on Twitter.

Pandeglang district has been hardest hit, with 167 deaths, 633 serious injuries and nearly 10,000 displaced – according to the latest update.

Death toll rises to 227

Indonesia’s ministry of health has released an update, with 227 people now confirmed dead and over 1000 injured:

  • 227 dead
  • 900 seriously injured
  • 289 with minor injuries
  • 430 missing
  • 10,105 displaced

Updated

Anak Krakatau erupted “almost every day” and yesterday “was not the biggest eruption”, says Sutopo.

He’s just posted a graph of the past three months of the volcano’s seismic activity.

“Almost every day Anak Krakatau erupted ... [and it is] still in the growth stage. It grows 4-6 meters taller per year.”

“Anak Krakatau has been erupting since June 2018 until now. Yesterday’s eruption was not the biggest. The October-November 2018 period had a larger eruption.”

Pictures of the aftermath from Al Jazeera’s Andrew Thomas:

More from Sutopo – he says “vandalism” and other factors have affected Indonesia’s tsunami detection capacity.

“The tsunami buoy network in Indonesian waters has not been operational since 2012. Vandalism, a limited budget, and technical damage mean there were no tsunami buoys at this time. They need to be rebuilt to strengthen the Indonesian tsunami early warning system.”

Updated

The US Geological Survey, who monitor tsunami and earthquake activity, cannot provide updates today, due to the Trump government shutdown.

A note at the top of their site says “due to a lapse in appropriations, the majority of USGS websites may not be up to date and may not reflect current conditions.”

“Websites displaying real-time data, such as earthquake and water and information needed for public health and safety will be updated with limited support.”

Volcanologist Jess Phoenix tweeted that this was “endangering lives”.

Evo Morales, the president of Bolivia, has expressed his sympathies and offered support to Indonesian president Joko Widodo.

"Build an early warning system for landslides"

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, Indonesia’s head spokesman for the natural disaster agency, has called on the country to build a warning system for the kind of volcanic landslide that caused Saturday’s disaster.

On Twitter, he first explained why there was no early warning.

“Indonesia does not yet have a tsunami early warning system for those caused by underwater landslides and volcanic eruptions. The current early warning system is for earthquake activity.”

“Indonesia must build an early warning system for tsunamis that are generated by underwater landslides & volcanic eruptions,” he continued. “[Landslides] triggered the 1992 Maumere tsunami and the Palu 2018 tsunami”

But he noted that the current earthquake detection system “has been running well”.

“Less than 5 minutes after an earthquake BMKG [the bureau of meteorology] can inform to the public,” he said.

Updated

The Red Cross have released an update on their rescue efforts from yesterday.

In Banten Province, they distributed

  • 150 blankets
  • 100 tarpaulins
  • 40 cleaning kits
  • 20 shovels
  • 20 boxes of mineral water
  • three body bags
  • five pairs of boots

Footage has emerged of Anak Krakatau, the volcano that is thought to have caused yesterday’s tsunami, which has been ejecting ash and lava for days.

The volcano’s name means child of Krakatau – and it was formed from the caldera of Krakatau when it erupted in 1883.

Watch below:

Meanwhile, geological monitors also detected an underwater earthquake near Tonga this morning. It was magnitude 6.5, at a depth of 62 miles.

But no tsunami or major damage is expected.

A series of minor earthquakes have occurred this morning, according to the Indonesian bureau of meteorology and geophysics.

One occurred at 2am and two at 6am, local time. None were close to the already affected Sunda Strait.

The 2am earthquake had a magnitude of 3.2 with an epicentre on land, 20km southwest of Jayapura.

One 6am earthquake had a magnitude of 4.2, with an the epicenter on land, 23 km northwest of Mamasa.

Another had a magnitude of 4.5, 14 km southwest of Pidie.

Updated

Riefian Fajarsyah, the vocalist of band Seventeen, has paid tribute to bandmates who were struck by the tsunami yesterday during a concert. The band’s bassist and manager were killed, and others are still missing.

“Goodbye @hermanseventeen [the band’s guitarist]”, he wrote last night. “Please ask and send prayers for the deceased.”

Hello and welcome to our continuing coverage of Indonesia’s Sunda Strait tsunami.

Here’s what we know so far:

  • 222 people have been confirmed dead and 843 injured.
  • The death toll is expected to rise as rescue and aid efforts continue.
  • The tsunami struck the islands of Sumatra and Java on Saturday night, local time. It was not detected by early warning systems.
  • It is believed to have been caused by an underwater landslide, created when the Anak Krakatau volcano erupted and partially collapsed.
Map of the Indonesia Sunda Strait tsunami

Updated

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Daredevil actor Charlie Cox definitively says he's not in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Punisher and The Hand may be the only Daredevil characters to show up in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Total Film
Total Film
Cat owner’s $1,500 vet nightmare ends with the most ridiculous diagnosis imaginable
The cat had a perfectly valid reason.
The Mary Sue
The Mary Sue
Sarah Michelle Gellar says the Buffy reboot script leak is "not correct" and fans shouldn't read it: "That stuff is really unfortunate"
Sarah Michelle Gellar doesn't want fans to seek out leaks of the canceled Buffy reboot
Total Film
Total Film
Kristin Cabot Makes Bomshell Confession About CEO Caught With Her On Coldplay Kisscam, Says She Was Lied To
“There was a big miss on honesty and integrity,” Kristin Cabot said in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Bored Panda
Bored Panda
What really happened in Bonnie St Patrick’s Day stream? The real story behind elderly couple clip and backlash
Twitch streamer Bonnie faced backlash after a St Patrick’s Day livestream clip showed her reacting to an elderly couple. The video went viral on X and Reddit, with many criticizing her behavior. Bonnie later responded on stream, saying clipping accounts were creating drama around her. She continues streaming while the…
The Times of India
The Times of India
Bobby Moynihan On What It's Like To Go From SNL Being Your 'Dream' Job To Thinking About Leaving The Show
All good things must end...
Cinemablend
Cinemablend
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play