The toll from the tsunami that struck around the coasts of Indonesia’s Java and Sumatra islands on Saturday rose to 429 on Tuesday afternoon, The Jakarta Post reported. Over 16,000 people have been displaced and at least 154 remain missing, the national disaster agency said.
The number of those injured is now 1,485, said the agency’s spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho. Search and rescue teams on Navy ships continue to find bodies in the water and on small islands, he said.
Most of those who died were in Java island’s Pandeglang province, where 290 people died. As many as 106 of them were at the Tanjung Lesung beach resort, according to The Guardian.
President Joko Widodo had on Monday visited the province, where he toured makeshift health clinics. The emergency response will last until January 4 in Pandeglang, and till December 29 in Lampung Selatan regency.
As many as 883 homes, 73 hotels and villas, 60 shops, 434 boats and 41 motor vehicles were damaged in the tsunami, the disaster agency said.
On Monday, the meteorological agency had confirmed that the tsunami was caused after a portion of the volcanic Anak Krakatoa island fell into the ocean. The Anak Krakatoa, a small island in the Sunda Strait, is known as the “child of the Krakatoa”. An eruption of the Krakatoa volcano in 1883 had killed 36,000 people and had sparked a tsunami that was felt around the world.
The tsunami had struck without warning late on Saturday.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!