A tsunami has killed at least 222 and injured 843 after it hit beaches around Indonesia’s Sunda Strait late last night. The deadly waves were reportedly triggered by an underwater landslide caused by the eruption of the Mount Krakatoa volcano. And Indonesian officials claimed its effects were exacerbated by an abnormal tidal surge due to a full moon.
Indonesia’s Pandeglang district, the worst affected area, reportedly received no warning before the tsunami struck.
Indonesia still lacks the proper equipment to alert about impending tsunami threats, despite the country bearing the brunt of the devastating 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, of Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency said “this is a new thing”, adding the country needs underwater sensors to alert authorities about potential dangers.
He said: “We need a multi-hazard early warning system. And we need lots of it.”
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Mr Nugroho argued tsunamis are both faster and less predictable than tidal waves, which are created by atmospheric conditions.
He said: “We used to know that a tsunami happens after an earthquake.
“There was no quake last night. That is why there was no warning.”
No foreigners are thought to have died, despite the tsunami hitting areas popular with tourists.
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At least 558 houses and nine hotels and 350 boats received heavy damage.
The worst hit area is Indonesia’s Pandeglang district, including the Tanjung Lesung beach, Lesung beach, Teluk Lada, Panimbang and Carita beach coastal areas.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency said in a statement: “The Geological Agency detected at 9.03pm local time the Anak Krakatau erupted.”
The tsunami struck inland 24 minutes later.
There is a strong possibility material around Anak Krakatau collapsed into the sea, triggering the tusjami wave around the Sunda Strait.”
Officials expect the death toll to rise as emergency services search the rubble.
Kathy Mueller, of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Indonesia, said: “It’s so early after the disaster, the numbers will fluctuate and it will take a while before the picture becomes clearer.
“It’s a very fluid situation and the numbers are going to change.”
Ms Mueller believes the Pandeglang area would have been full of local tourists when the waves arrived due to the holiday season.
Red Cross teams are supplying basic household items, clean water and digging equipment to clear the area.
Indonesia has been recently faced a succession of natural disasters.
A 7.5 magnitude earthquake rocked the Sulawesi island on September 28.
Rivers of mud decimated entire neighbourhoods near Baleroa and Petobo in the aftermath of the powerful earthquake and ensuing tsunami.
The death toll from the earthquake is nearly 2,000.
Torrential rains triggered mudslides that swamped part of a school in Indonesia’s North Sumatra in October, killing twenty people.
And more than 100 people died when an earthquake hit the tourist island of Lombok near Bali in August.