Indonesia tsunami toll rises to 430\, nearly 22\,000 displaced

Indonesia tsunami toll rises to 430, nearly 22,000 displaced

IANS  |  Jakarta 

Indonesian authorities on Wednesday raised to 430 the death toll in the devastating triggered by a volcanic eruption in Sunda Strait, while nearly 22,000 people were displaced.

In the worst-hit area of Pandeglang, in the of Jawa island, 290 were killed, 1,143 injured and 77 missing apart from nearly 17,477 affected, said Sutopo.

The struck the Indonesian islands of and almost without warning late Saturday, shortly after the erupted in the dividing the islands.

Rough weather conditions in the and southern part of Island were making it tough for the humanitarian aid and rescue teams, news reported.

Sutopo tweeted that heavy rain caused flooding in several areas in Pandeglang and disrupted the evacuation process.

issued an alert urging people to stay away from the coasts due to predicted weather conditions that could cause strong tides.

The country on Wednesday also commemorated the 167,799 people who lost their lives in 2004 as a result of the December 26 caused by a magnitude-9.1 earthquake off the northern coast of

The disaster also caused deaths in a dozen other nations around the Indian Ocean, killing around 230,000 people in total.

Buddhists, Muslims and Christians all took part in events marking the disaster's 14th anniversary, including at Siron Tsunami Mass Grave in the Sumatran province of Aceh, the hardest hit by the natural disaster.

The absence and failure of contributed to the huge casualties in Saturday's tsunami because people had no opportunity to be evacuated, the BNPB had said.

The authorities blamed the tsunami on the collapse of part of after it erupted in the Many people were celebrating the holiday period when they were hit by waves 4 to 5 metres high.

sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of great seismic and volcanic activity that is shaken every year by some 7,000 earthquakes, most of them moderate.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Wed, December 26 2018. 15:58 IST