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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Frances Perraudin (now), Hannah Ellis-Petersen and Martin Farrer (earlier)

Hundreds dead and 'many missing' in Java and Sumatra after tsunami – as it happened

Evening summary

We’re wrapping up the blog for the evening. Here’s a summary of what has happened.

  • At least 222 people have been killed and 843 injured after a tsunami hit the coast of Indonesia’s Sunda Strait.
  • Twenty-eight people are missing and authorities expect the death toll to rise as many affected areas have not yet been reached.
  • The tsunami hit at about 9.30pm on Saturday night, Indonesian time, which is around 2.30pm GMT. There was no pre-warning given.
  • The tsunami is thought to have been caused by the eruption of the Anak Krakatoa volcano, which may have triggered underwater landslides.
  • Indonesia’s disaster management agency said 556 houses, nine hotels, 60 culinary stalls and 350 boats were known to have been damaged.
  • Aid agencies are helping to evacuate the injured and bring in clean water, tarpaulins and provide shelter. The Red Cross said they were preparing for the possibility of diseases breaking out in the tsunami zone.

Here is today’s full report into the disaster.

Pope Francis has prayed for the victims of the tsunami that struck Indonesia, the Associated Press reports. Francis told tourists and pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday that his thoughts were with Indonesia’s people, “struck by violent natural calamities,” and said he was spiritually close to those left homeless or otherwise suffering.

Here is some more analysis of why the tsunami came without warning.

Prof Dougal Jerram from the University of Oslo said:

Tsunamis can be caused by volcanically induced landslides above or below water, and by volcanic eruptions themselves. Unlike tsunamis caused by earthquakes, such volcanically induced tsunamis may not trigger warning systems that are designed to alarm after large quakes, and thus may provide little warning, unless observed directly or detected by other devices such as wave buoy warning systems. Particularly when the volcano in question, as with Anak Krakatau, is already active and displaying activity such that its eruption is not a new or a surprise event.

Dr Simon Boxall from the National Oceanography Centre and University of Southampton said:

There will be an outcry as to why an early warning system didn’t kick in. The same criticism was levelled after the September Palu tsunami which killed 2,000 people. These tsunamis are very localised and to cover the Indian Ocean with sufficient sensors to warn against all such eventualities would require many thousand buoys on the network. In shallow water the energy of the tsunami is quickly dispersed and so in this case the wave didn’t travel as far from source as the very destructive 2004 Boxing Day tsunami which occurred in the deep ocean.

Updated

Lunchtime summary

  • At least 222 people have been killed and 843 injured after a tsunami hit the coast of Indonesia’s Sunda Strait.
  • Twenty-eight people are missing and authorities expect the death toll to rise as many affected areas have not yet been reached.
  • The tsunami hit at about 9.20pm on Saturday night. There was no pre-warning given. Here is an explanation as to why that was.
  • The tsunami is thought to have been caused by the eruption of the Anak Krakatoa volcano, which may have triggered underwater landslides. People have been warned to stay away from the coast due to fears of another tsunami.
  • Sutopo Purwo Nugroho from Indonesia’s disaster management agency said that 556 houses, nine hotels, 60 culinary stalls and 350 boats were known to have been damaged.
  • Aid agencies are at the scene. The Red Cross is on site in some of the worst affected areas of Pandeglang, Lampung and Serang. An Oxfam assessment team is going to the Strait today to gather more information about what has happened and what they can do.
  • Indonesian rock band Seventeen were midway through a performance in a tent at Tanjung Lesung beach resort in west Java when the wave hit and obliterated the stage, dragging the musicians and audience members with it. The band’s bassist and road manager both died, while four other band members are still missing.

Updated

Two academics explain why it is difficult to create effective early warning systems for tsunamis like this. Prof David Rothery, professor of Planetary Geosciences at the Open University, said:

Anak Krakatau, the volcano on the site of Krakatau (Krakatoa) that was destroyed by the devastating eruption of 1883, has not suddenly come to life as some reports have implied. It has been erupting continually throughout much of this year, as part of the process of volcanic regrowth.

In 1883, over 30,000 of the deaths were caused by the tsunami resulting from the explosive destruction of the former volcano. Today’s tsunami appears to have been caused by an underwater collapse of part of the new island and that has been forming as the volcano grows.

Tsunami warning buoys are positioned to warn of tsunamis originated by earthquakes at underwater tectonic plate boundaries. Even if there had been such a bout right next to Anak Krakatau, this is so close to the affected shorelines that warning time would have been minimal given the high speeds at which tsunami waves travel.

Dr Ilan Kelman, from the Institute for Global Health and Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction at University College London, said:

The tragedy in Indonesia shows the ever-present challenges we face in developing warning systems for hazards like tsunamis. It must be a continual process of working with people at risk to determine possible future threats and how quickly everyone could be informed and act when one manifests. With the short timeframes we see here, we have a lot of work to do with those directly affected for improving warning systems to save lives.

Updated

The Associated Press reports more witness accounts.

“I had to run, as the wave passed the beach and landed 15-20m (meters, or 50-65 feet) inland,” Norwegian Oystein Lund Andersen wrote on Facebook. The self-described photographer and volcano enthusiast said he was taking pictures of the volcano when he saw a big wave come toward him.

“Next wave entered the hotel area where I was staying and downed cars on the road behind it,” he wrote. “Managed to evacuate with my family to higher ground (through) forest paths and villages, where we are taken care of (by) the locals. Were unharmed, thankfully.”

In the city of Bandar Lampung on Sumatra, hundreds of residents took refuge at the governor’s office. At the popular resort area of Carita beach, some survivors appeared lost.

Azki Kurniawan, 16, said he was undergoing vocational training with a group of 30 other students at Patra Comfort Hotel when people suddenly burst into the lobby yelling, “Seawater rising!” He said he was confused because he did not feel an earthquake, but ran to the parking lot to try to reach his motorbike. By the time he got there, it was already flooded.

“Suddenly a one-metre (3.3-foot) wave hit me,” he said. “I fell down, the water separated me from my bike. I was thrown into the fence of a building about 30 metres (100 feet) from the beach and held on to the fence as strong as I could, trying to resist the water, which feels like it would drag me back into the sea. I cried in fear ... ‘This is a tsunami?’ I was afraid I would die.”

Updated

The UK Labour party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, has said his thoughts are with those affected by last night’s tsunami.

Updated

David Lipson, ABC’s Indonesia correspondent, had been tweeting pictures and video from the tsunami zone.

Here is the latest update from Sutopo Purwo Nugroho from Indonesia’s disaster management agency, announcing the revised higher death toll.

Here is a translation from Google Translate: “The number of victims and damage due to the tsunami in the Sunda Strait as of 23/12/2018 at 16.00 WIB recorded 222 people died, 843 people were injured & 28 people were missing. Physical damage: 556 housing units were damaged, 9 hotel units were damaged, 60 culinary stalls were damaged, 350 boats were damaged.”

A statement from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said that volunteers from the Indonesian Red Cross in Pandeglang were on the ground providing first aid after the tsunami struck late on Saturday evening.

Twenty staff and volunteers are now responding to people’s immediate needs, helping rescue survivors and recover bodies, and assessing the situation in coordination with government authorities

The Red Cross has dispatched relief goods from its regional warehouse in Banten including water, tarpaulins, cleaning equipment (shovels, axes), family and hygiene kits.

The Red Cross continues to respond and will provide further assistance based on the assessments currently under way.

Updated

Oxfam has said it is getting ready to help coastal communities on small islands in the Sundra Strait, which are believed to be among the worst hit by the tsunami.

Meg Quartermaine, Oxfam Australia’s humanitarian manager, said the charity and its partners were coordinating with Indonesian authorities and other humanitarian agencies in order to assess the need.

An Oxfam assessment team is going out to the Strait today to gather more information about what has happened and what we can do. We know affected communities will need food and access to clean water.

Oxfam is planning assessments to help to understand the scale of the disaster and to determine what sort of response may be required, if requested.

The charity said in a statement: “Oxfam, through its partner organisations, is well placed to be able to mobilise quickly in the aftermath of the second tsunami in the region in the past three months. It has now reached more than 100,000 people in Sulawesi affected by the earlier tsunami with aid and services.”

Death toll rises to 222, with 843 injured

The death toll has just climbed to 222, with 843 injured and 28 missing, according to AP, which is citing Indonesia’s disaster agency.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman from Indonesia’s disaster management agency, said the figure could rise further as not all affected areas had been reached.

Updated

Last night’s tsunami was one of a series of disasters to hit Indonesia in 2018. More than 100 people died when an earthquake devastated the tourist island of Lombok near Bali in August. In September, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake hit the area around Palu on the island of Sulawesi in northern Indonesia. It triggered a tsunami and together the two natural disasters devastated the region. The official death toll is more than 2,000 but it is feared this figure could finally rise to 5,000.

Martin Farrer has written a run-down of the terrible disasters to affect the country this year.

Updated

What we know so far

  • At least 168 people have been killed and 745 injured after a tsunami hit the coast of Indonesia’s Sunda Strait.
  • Twenty people are missing and authorities expect the death toll to rise.
  • The tsunami hit at about 9.20pm on Saturday night. There was no pre-warning given.
  • The tsunami is thought to have been caused by the eruption of Anak Krakatoa volcano, which may have triggered underwater landslides.
  • Hundreds of buildings and homes along the coast on both the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra have been destroyed by the force of the wave.
  • Indonesia’s disaster management agency has warned people to stay away from the coastline due to fears of another tsunami and a high wave warning remains in place.
  • Indonesian rescue teams and the Red Cross are already on site in some of the worst affected areas of Pandeglang, Lampung and Serang.
  • Popular Indonesian rock band Seventeen were mid-way through a performance in a tent at Tanjung Lesung beach resort in west Java when the wave hit and obliterated the stage, dragging the musicians and audience members with it. They have since released a statement confirming that their bassist and road manager both died in the tsunami, while four other band members are still missing.
  • Anak Krakatoa volcano has been particularly active since June, occasionally sending massive plumes of ash high into the sky. The island volcano emerged from the ocean half a century after an eruption on nearby Krakatoa in 1883. That eruption, thought to be one of the most violent volcanic events in history, killed more than 36,000 people.

Updated

The volcano Anak Krakatoa – meaning “Child of Krakatoa” – which is thought to have triggered the deadly tsunami has been particularly active since June, occasionally sending massive plumes of ash high into the sky and in October a tour boat was nearly hit by lava bombs from the erupting volcano.

The volcanic island emerged in 1928 out of the caldera of Krakatoa, the volcano that famously exploded in 1883 in one of the most violent volcanic eruptions in history, spewing ash 12km into the air and killing more than 30,000 people.

Anak Krakatoa has been continually active since it emerged, with eruptions once every two to three years. It is uninhabited but a popular tourist destination.

Updated

Local band Seventeen have paid an emotional tribute to the band members they lost, and those who are still missing, when the tsunami wave hit as they were performing in a beach resort on Saturday night. The shocking footage of the moment the wave enveloped the musicians and the audience has gone viral.

Updated

The Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, has tweeted his “deep grief for the fallen tsunami victims in Pandeglang, Serang and South Lampung”.

“I have ordered all relevant government officials to immediately take emergency response steps, look for and find victims, and care for the injured,” he said.

Updated

Death toll rises to 168

Sutopo has confirmed the Saturday evening tsunami has left at least 168 dead, 745 injured and 30 missing. He expects the death toll to rise since not all the areas that were hit have been reached yet.

The worst affected area was the Pandeglang region of Banten province in Java, which encompasses the Ujung Kulon National Park and popular beaches south-west of the capital, Jakarta.

Scientists say the tsunami was probably caused by the eruption of Anak Krakatau, a volcanic island formed over years from the nearby Krakatau volcano. They also cited tidal waves caused by the full moon.

Updated

It is being reported that the death toll is reaching into the hundreds as both the islands of Sumatra and Java were hit. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation correspondent, the Indonesian rescue agency has confirmed that the tsunami death toll in the Lampung area of Sumatra alone is at 113.

In Pandeglang, on Java, he reported that local agencies were saying that 92 people have been killed.

The authorities expect the death toll to continue to rise.

Updated

Sutopo has also warned that there is still the potential for another tsunami as Krakatoa is still active. There are high tide warnings in place until tomorrow and people are being urged to stay away from the coast for the time being.

“Please do not be around the beaches around the Sunda Strait. Those who have evacuated, please do not return yet,” said Rahmat Triyono, head of the meteorological agency on Sunday.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesperson for the Indonesian disaster agency, has posted aerial footage of the affected area in Kalianda Beach, south Lampung, where so far 35 bodies have been recovered and a reported 115 people were injured

Updated

Video footage which shows the extent of the devastation of the coastal town of Anyer, with debris everywhere and some houses totally flattened.

Updated

The Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, confirmed that so far no foreigners are known to have been caught up in the tsunami.

“We understand that at present there are no foreigners, let alone Australians, who have been impacted by this,” Morrison told reporters.

He also tweeted his condolences for the disaster.

Updated

Local rock band Seventeen, who were captured in dramatic footage as the tsunami wave obliterated the stage while they were performing, dragging the band members and the audience along with it, have released a statement saying its bass player, M Awal Purbani, also known as Bani, and its road manager, Oki Wijaya, have been found dead and four members of the band are still missing.

Seventeen were performing at at an event held by state electricity company PLN at a resort on Tanjung Lesung beach when the tsunami hit the stage at 9:30pm on Saturday night.

The frontman of the band uploaded this emotional video on to instagram, asking for prayers from followers to help find the band members and his wife, who is also missing.

Updated

A spokesman for Indonesia’s disaster agency says the death toll has now risen to 62 with at least 20 missing.

David Lipson, the Indonesia correspondent of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, has been talking about the disaster on TV.

He makes the point that because there was no earthquake – the usual trigger for a tsunami – there was no warning that the wave was about to strike.

The eruption of Anak Krakatoa occurred at around 9pm on Saturday night local time. The wave struck about 25 minutes later. There were no earth tremors, according to disaster agency officials, allowing no time for warnings.

Slope collapse could have caused tsunami, says expert

We have some more insight into the causes of the volcano from Gegar Prasetya, co-founder of the Tsunami Research Center Indonesia, via Associated Press.

He says the waves were most likely caused by a collapse of part of the slope of Mount Anak Krakatoa during an eruption. He says it’s possible for an eruption to trigger a landslide above ground or beneath the ocean, both capable of producing a tsunami, noting that the wave itself was not that high – only around 1m.

“Actually, the tsunami was not really big, only one metre,” said Prasetya, who is an expert on Krakatoa. “The problem is people always tend to build everything close to the shoreline.”

We’re starting to see some more pictures of the devastated areas.

This is from Anyer in Banten province:

A ruined car in Anyer, Banten province.
A ruined car in Anyer, Banten province. Photograph: BNPB/HANDOUT/EPA

This is the scene at Carita beach, one of the worst-hit areas:

Debris from a damaged home on Carita beach.
Debris from a damaged home on Carita beach. Photograph: SEMI/AFP/Getty Images

And this is another scene at Carita.

Residents inspect the damage to their homes at Carita beach.
Residents inspect the damage to their homes at Carita beach. Photograph: SEMI/AFP/Getty Images

Australia is ready to send aid and assistance to Indonesia in the wake of the tsunami.

The prime minister, Scott Morrison, said the disaster was a “terrible blow for Indonesia” coming so soon after the earthquake and tsunami in Sulawesi in September.

“This comes on top of what had happened in Sulawesi and so as always, we’re available to support the Indonesian government with these things, as requested.

There have been no such requests. I’m not anticipating any on this occasion. But should they present, then obviously we will work with the Indonesian government as they request.

Relations between the two neighbours have cooled in recent weeks after Morrison angered the Muslim-majority nation of Indonesia when he recognised West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Updated

The charity Save the Children says it has a team of emergency workers ready to deploy to the area.

Michel Rooijackers, who is an adviser to Save the Children’s local partner in Indonesia, said early reports showed major damage in areas hit by the tsunami, although it was still too early to know the full extent of the devastation.

He added:

Our teams are working closely with local authorities and other aid agencies to gain a clearer picture of the needs and what humanitarian response is required. We’re particularly concerned about the safety and wellbeing of children, who are especially vulnerable in tsunamis and being swept away in floodwaters.

Rooijackers said that 2018 had been a particularly difficult year for Indonesia in terms of disasters.

It’s been a very tough year in Indonesia, with a series of heartbreaking disasters including multiple major earthquakes in Lombok followed by the earthquake and tsunami in Sulawesi that killed more than 2,000 people, and now this. This has put huge pressure on authorities and aid agencies and our ability to respond, as we are continuously having to replenish pre-positioned aid and stretch our resources.

Save the Children, through local partner Yayasan Sayangi Tunas Cilik, has helped on relief work in many humanitarian emergencies in Indonesia, including the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004 and the Aceh earthquake in 2016.

Band 'washed away from stage'

There is some TV dramatic footage of the tsunami crashing into a band while they perform on stage.

More than 100 employees of the state utility company PLN had gathered in Tanjung Lesung for an end-of-year event, a company spokesman has told Reuters.

Local rock band Seventeen was performing at the event when the tsunami crashes over the stage from behind the band, washing away the group and audience.

“The water washed away the stage which was located very close to the sea,” the band said in a statement. “The water rose and dragged away everyone at the location. We have lost loved ones, including our bassist and manager ... and others are missing.”

Evacuation warning

Indonesian authorities have warned people who have evacuated the Sunda Strait beaches region not to return until they are told it is safe.

Rahmat Triyono, the head of the meteorological agency, was quoted by Reuters as saying: “Please do not be around the beaches around the Sunda Strait. Those who have evacuated, please do not return yet.”

Updated

Australia’s department of foreign affairs is working to determine if any Australians are among the dead and injured.

“The Australian embassy in Jakarta is making urgent enquiries to determine whether any Australians have been affected by the tidal wave that hit beaches in the Sunda Strait area,” a departmental spokesperson said.

Number of victims 'will increase'

Emergency teams from the country’s disaster mitigration agency are not yet on the scene so local officials are doing their best to cope with the devastation.

Hundreds of homes and other buildings – including at least nine hotels – have been heavily damaged.

Residents sit inside a mosque after fleeing the tsunami in Labuan district in Pandeglang, one of the worst-hit areas.
Residents sit inside a mosque after fleeing the tsunami in Labuan district in Pandeglang, one of the worst-hit areas. Photograph: Antara Foto/Reuters

Endan Permana, head of the agency in Pandeglang, told Metro TV that police were helping victims in Tanjung Lesung in Banten province.

“Many are missing,” Permana said adding that with information from many areas still to be compiled, there was a “possibility that data on the victims and damage will increase”.

'I ran as far as I could'

Witness accounts are beginning to emerge to give us a picture of what has happened.

Agence France-Presse says that at Carita beach in Pandenglang, 15-year-old Muhammad Bintang described a sudden surge of water that plunged the tourist spot into darkness. He said:

We arrived at 9pm for our holiday and suddenly the water came – it went dark, the electricity is off. It’s messy outside and we still cannot access the road.

On the other side of the strait, in Sumatra, Lutfi Al Rasyid said he fled the beach in Kalianda city in fear for his life.

I could not start my motorbike so I left it and I ran... I just prayed and ran as far as I could.

Updated

Anak Krakatoa eruption

The Indonesian geophysics agency says the Anak Krakatoa volcano erupted about 24 minutes before the tsunami.

The 305m-high (1,000ft) volcano is about 80km off the west coast of Java and has been erupting since June. In July, authorities widened its no-go areas to 2km from the crater.

Officials say it is rare for eruptions to trigger a tsunami which might explain the initial confusion in not calling it a tsunami.

Lava streams down from Anak Krakatau (Child of Krakatoa) volcano during an eruption in July 2018.
Lava streams down from Anak Krakatau (Child of Krakatoa) volcano during an eruption in July 2018. Photograph: STRINGER/Reuters

If the name Anak Krakatoa sounds familiar that’s because it was formed out of the remains of the famous Krakatoa volcano which blew its top in 1883. The name means Child of Krakatoa. That eruption was reckoned to be one of the biggest of all time and spewed ash and rock more than 20km into the sky, plunging the region into darkness. The blast was heard as far away as Alice Springs in central Australia. The disaster killed more than 36,000 people. Anak Krakatoa emerged from the caldera of that explosion.

There is a bit more detail about where the fatalities have occurred.

The worst affected area was the Pandeglang region of Banten province in Java, which encompasses the Ujung Kulon national park and popular beaches, the disaster management agency said. Of the deaths, 33 were in Pandeglang. There were at least three people dead in Serang, which is further north.

Alif, a resident in Pandeglang district who goes by one name, was quoted on Associated Press as saying that the tsunami reached about 3 metres (9.84 feet) high. He told MetroTV station that many people were still searching for missing relatives.

People ride motorbikes through water and debris-filled streets in Serang city.
People ride motorbikes through water and debris-filled streets in Serang city. Photograph: AP

The waves also spread west to Sumatra. In the city of Bandar Lampung on southern Sumatra, hundreds of residents took refuge at the governor’s office.

Updated

Sutopo said officials were still trying to work out the exact cause of the disaster.

In his very first tweet on the matter today, Sutopo said there had not been a tsunami and that it was a tidal wave caused by the full moon.

But he later deleted the tweet and corrected himself. Officials now believe it was caused by a combination of an eruption of Anak Krakatoa which cause undersea landslides, and the full moon tides.

The national disaster agency says the tsunami has affected an area between Serang and Pandenglang, which is on the very western tip of Java. It’s quite a big area stretching about 100km. Here’s a map to help get an understanding.

Map

Information is sketchy about the damage caused but the agency’s spokesman, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, released a statement earlier this morning giving some details.

The regions most affected are Padenglang Regency, South Lampung and Serang. In Pandeglang District the affected areas are in the districts of Carita, Panimbang and Sumur. “Areas that were severely affected were settlements and tours on Tanjung Lesung beach, Sumur beach, Teluk Lada beach, Panimbang beach, and Carita beach,” he said.

Here is a link to the statement translated into English.

Updated

Hello and welcome to our blog on the tsunami that has hit the west coast of Java in Indonesia.

Here is what we know so far:

  • The wave struck the area on the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra on Saturday, around 9.30pm local time.
  • The national disaster agency says 43 people have been killed and nearly 600 are injured.
  • A local disaster official said there were “many” people missing.
  • It is believed that a combination of underwater landslides triggered by an eruption of Anak Krakatoa volcano and high tides around the full moon caused the tsunami.
  • The disaster agency says it is still investigating the causes.
  • Emergency teams have been sent to the area although the agency said the main road to the region was blocked.
  • The wave hit villages and hotels along the coast – especially the areas of Pandenglang, South Lampung and Serang. The region is a popular getaway from the capital city, Jakarta, 180km away.
  • One witness, a Norwegian photographer, said he had to run to higher ground to escape the wave.
An image from a video showing debris in Serang city, in Banten province, Indonesia.
An image from a video showing debris in Serang city, in Banten province, Indonesia. Photograph: AP
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