Indonesia tsunami - live: Hundreds dead amid desperate search for missing, as survivors describe horror
'I was afraid I would die'
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Your support makes all the difference.A tsunami in Indonesia has killed at least 222 people and injured hundreds, following an underwater landslide caused by the eruption of island volcano Krakatoa.
Hundreds of buildings were “heavily damaged” when the tsunami struck the Sunda Strait and the nearby islands of Java and Sumatra late on Saturday. Thousands fled after the wave hit and it is unclear how many residents are missing.
Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said that the tsunami was exacerbated by an abnormally high tide, caused by the full moon. A tide warning remains in place through 25 December.
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Anak Krakatoa, the volcanic island that triggered the tsunami, began to grow from the site of a previous volcano in 1927.
Its name translates as 'Child of Krakatoa' and plumes of smoke are often seen above it.
Scientists said that abnormally high tidal waves caused by the full moon also added to the severity of the tsunami.
"There was no warning for this tsunami, it just happened. Most of the people were shocked that a tsunami could hit this area," said Priscilla Christin, a World Vision spokesperson based in Indonesia.
"So many buildings here have been damaged and the hotels too. Some roads to Jakarta are blocked, so we are having difficulties travelling from there to all the areas which are affected."
Police officers in Indonesia have rescued a young boy who was trapped in a car buried under fallen trees and rubble.
Broken chunks of concrete and splintered sticks of wood litter hard-hit coastal areas.
The tsunami has turned the beaches popular with Jakarta residents into near ghost towns. Vehicles tossed by the waves remain overturned and debris from thatch-bamboo shacks is strewn along the beaches.
Indonesia's disaster agency said that the death toll may continue to rise.
The worst affected area was the Pandeglang region of Banten province in Java, which encompasses the Ujung Kulon National Park and the popular beaches southwest of Jakarta.
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Officials at Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency have asked evacuees not to return to coastal areas.
A high-tide warning remains in place for the beaches of Java and parts of Sumatra.
Indonesian TV images has shown the seconds when the tsunami hit the beach on Java island, dragging with it victims, debris, and large chunks of wood and metal.
The motorway connecting to the Serang-Pandeglang, area has been cut off by the tsunami, amid desperate conditions for rescuers attempting to reach people trapped by the disaster.
Roads and infrastructure are poor in many areas of Indonesia, making access difficult in the best of conditions.
Pope Francis has prayed for the people affected by the Indonesian tsunami, including the dead and the missing.
He also appealed for the international community to support the disaster-prone country.
Australia and New Zealand have both offered assistance to the Indonesian government as it grapples with the aftermath of the tsunami.
Indonesian president Joko Widodo said on Twitter that he had “ordered all relevant government agencies to immediately take emergency response steps, find victims and care for the injured”.
The country's government was criticised for inefficiency in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Sulawesi island in September, killing thousands.
Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office has said it is "monitoring the situation" in Indonesia closely.
"If you are in the area, please follow the local authorities' advice," a spokesperson said.
"The British Embassy is in contact the Indonesian authorities."
Officials from Australia and New Zealand's embassies in Jakarta have also said that they are in touch with authorities in Jakarta.
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