Tsunami in Indonesia Sunda Strait Kills at Least 373 People

Banten, MINA – Until Monday, At least 373 people were killed in Indonesia after the tsunami hit the coastline of Banten and South Sumatera.

There was no warning before the waves struck the Pandeglang district, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, head of public relations at Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

The tsunami swept the coast of Serang, Pandeglang, South Lampung and Tenggamus on Saturday night. It caused 1,459 injured and 128 other missing and 5, 665 people displaced.

Authorities say the tsunami may have been triggered by an abnormal tidal surge due to a new moon and an underwater landslide following the eruption of Anak Krakatau, which forms a small island in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra.

“The combination caused a sudden tsunami that hit the coast,” Nugroho said but added that Indonesia’s geological agency was working to ascertain exactly how it happened.

He also mentioned that not all victims of the disaster could be evacuated and the aids have not arrived at the locations yet.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Ministry of Health has sent 144 medical teams and 51 ambulances to the disaster area to help the victims.

The Indonesian Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources also guaranteed the supply of fuel in these areas still run well after the tsunami disaster. (T/Sj/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)