Indonesia tsunami - live: Hundreds dead amid desperate search for missing, as survivors describe horror
'I was afraid I would die'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
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.
Follow below for live updates:
Please wait a moment for the live blog to load
The tsunami's wall of water destroyed 556 homes, Indonesia's disaster agency has said.
Infrastructure in coastal areas around the Sunda Strait has been left devastated in the aftermath.
350 ships have also been damaged, agency spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.
A survivor receives medical treatment at a hospital in Carita (AFP/Getty)
The timing of the tsunami, over the Christmas holiday season, has evoked memories of the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami triggered by an earthquake on 26 December in 2004.
It killed 226,000 people in 14 countries, including more than 120,000 in Indonesia.
The country is particularly susceptible to earthquakes and tsunamis because of its precarious position in the 'Ring of Fire', an arc of fault lines and volcanoes that circle the Pacific Basin.
The volcanic eruption that caused the tsunami also created a column of volcanic ash, that shot up to 500m high over the Sunda Strait.
Krakatoa, an island volcano, has been spewing lava and smoke at regular intervals since July.
Residents in Indonesia did not feel any warning tremors before the disaster struck as the tsunami was caused by an eruption and not an earthquake.
Such tsunamis are extremely rare.
Aerial photos taken above Carita's beaches show the devastation suffered by popular tourist towns in Java.
The beaches are strewn with debris from thatch-bamboo shacks. Indonesia's disaster agency has warned evacuees to stay away from the coast.
AFP/Getty
Indonesian boyband Seventeen has released a statement about the horrific moment their concert stage was swept away by the tsunami.
"The water washed away the stage which was located very close to the sea," the band said.
"The water rose and dragged away everyone at the location. We have lost loved ones, including our bassist and manager ... and others are missing."
Read more here:
Survivors who attended a beach concert that was devastated by the tsunami are being treated at clinics nearby.
Many are unable to return to Jakarta, where they had travelled from, because debris from the disaster has blocked roads to the city.
"We were shocked because a lot of the people who went there took their families," Yulia Dian, a manager for Seventeen, the band playing at the concert, said.
"They'd been sharing stories they were having fun at the beach and we didn't expect this."
Indonesia's disaster management agency has said that there was no warning given for the tsunami because it was caused by a volcano.
Spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said that the country only had a warning system for tsunamis caused by earthquakes.
Tsunamis triggered by volcanic eruptions are exceptionally rare.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments