Indonesia tsunami: At least 281 dead and hundreds injured after volcanic eruption

Disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said 1,016 were injured after the tsunami hit the Sunda Strait on Saturday night.

The tally of missing is 57 but the numbers are expected to rise

Among the people rescued was a five-year-old boy who had been trapped under rubble for hours north of Labuhan on the west coast of Java island.

The tsunami may have been caused by undersea landslides or those occurring above sea level on the Anak Krakatau volcano’s steep slope after the eruption, according to scientists – including those from Indonesia’s Meteorology and Geophysics agency.

Members of a pop band who were on a beach are among scores who have lost their lives. Dramatic footage showed the impact of the tsunami which struck while they performed.

Tourists were also affected as they looked forward to spending the festive season on holiday.

Oystein Lund Andersen, a Norwegian tourist, wrote on Facebook: “I had to run, as the wave passed the beach and landed 15-20m inland.”

The photographer and volcano enthusiast said he was busy snapping the volcano when he saw a huge wave heading towards him.

“Next wave entered the hotel area where I was staying and downed cars on the road behind it,” he said.

“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.”

The volcano lies in the Sunda Strait located between the islands of Java and Sumatra, and links the Indian Ocean and the Java Sea.

According to the geophysics agency, it erupted about 24 minutes before the tsunami.

The Pandeglang region of Java’s Banten province was among the worst affected.

Student Azki Kurniawan, 16, said he did not feel an earthquake but tried to run to his motorbike when others alerted him and fellow students of rising water in the city of Bandar Lampung on Sumatra.

“Suddenly a one-metre 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 from the beach and held onto 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.”

Indonesia’s President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo offered his condolences and ordered a quick response to the disaster.

He said: “My deep condolences to the victims in Banten and Lumpung provinces… hopefully, those who are left have patience.”

Several countries expressed their sympathy, with Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, saying his country was “ready to assist” Indonesia.

US President Donald Trump said the tsunami was “unthinkable”.

The latest disaster follows an earthquake and tsunami in September, which hit the city of Palu on another Indonesian island – Sulawesi. More than 2,500 people were killed in the tragedy.

Saturday’s disaster brought back memories of the magnitude 9.1 earthquake which spawned a giant tsunami off Sumatra on Boxing Day in 2004. More than 230,000 people died in a dozen countries, but mostly in Indonesia. – skynews.com