Thread: Tsunami hits Java; at least 38 dead

Earthquake, tsunami in Indonesia kills at least 50

Jakarta (dpa) - A powerful earthquake jolted the south-west coast of Indonesia's Java island Monday afternoon, triggering a tsunami that killed at least 50 people and destroyed several tourist hotels and houses, according to the Indonesian Red Cross and police.

The tremblor, measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale, struck Jakarta and parts of West Java province at about 3:20 pm (0820 GMT), said Jajad, an official at Jakarta's National Meteorology and Geophysics Agency.

The quake then created a tsunami at least 2-metres high, crashing into the southwest coast as hundreds of panicked local residents scrambled for high ground.

Budi, an official with the Indonesian Red Cross in nearby Ciamis, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that at least 40 people were killed in the popular beach resort area of Pangandaran in West Java, and 10 more died in nearby coastal areas.

"There are (also) hundreds injured who are being treated at local hospitals and clinics," Budi told dpa by telephone.

Police officials in the area told dpa that "many more" people remained unaccounted for, including fishermen whose boats were destroyed by the wave.

Antara, Indonesia's state-run news agency, put the death toll at only nine, including four people on Pangandaran beach and five more at nearby Cipatujah beach.

However, the Jakarta-based Elshinta private radio station reported 38 dead, including 10 in the coastal towns of Cipatujah and Cilacap that lie near Pangandaran.

Monday evening, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had told reporters at the Presidential Palace that at least five people were killed in the quake-triggered tsunami, which also destroyed fishing boats in the area.

The quake prompted the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre to issue a tsunami warning in the Indian Ocean for Indonesia's Java and Sumatra islands and Australia's Christmas and Cococs islands.

A witness who identified herself as Teti said the quake triggered huge waves up to 2 metres high that swamped several hotels and homes on Pangandaran beach.

"I saw the big waves sweep away hotels and homes here on the beach area," Teti told Elshinta radio. "There were also many fishing boats swept away by the big waves."

She and other witnesses saw at least three people believed to be dead lying on Pangandaran beach, one of West Java's top tourist spots.

Yudhoyono, whose 21-month-old presidency has been marred by massive natural disasters including the 2004 Asian Tsunami, said rescue workers were conducting search and rescue operations throughout the affected areas, which were in blackness Monday night because of power outages.

"I received reports from the Ciamis district chief that at least five people have died from the quake-triggered tsunami," President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told reporters at the presidential palace.

A military officer in the West Java district of Garut confirmed that one fisherman died after the wave crashed onto the shore in Pameungpeuk, while other officials said an unknown number of people were also believed to be dead.

Local officials feared the death toll could be higher amid reports of unaccounted for people or victims trapped under debris from collapsed houses and hotels in the beach area, and rescue workers were having trouble reaching isolated areas.

"I received reports that an unspecific number of people are still missing and probably were swept away by the water, or they were trapped under rubble," Diding, an official at Pangandaran sub- district office, told dpa.

Hundreds of residents, fearful of a repeat of the 2004 tsunami that killed 177,000 people alone in Indonesia's Aceh province, fled their homes in a panic to nearby hills immediately after they were informed of a possible tsunami.

"We were in total panic and ran to the hills. Almost an entire village here was inundated by water," said Misman, a resident of Pangandaran, told Elshinta radio.

"What I see is that buildings on the southern coast have been damaged. Only concrete buildings are still standing," one local police officer told the Jakarta-based Metro TV.

Meteorology official Jajad, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, said the quake's epicentre was in the Indian Ocean, about 266 kilometres of Bandung, the provincial capital of West Java, or about 366 kilometres south of Jakarta.

Elshinta radio reported that the quake was felt by residents from several cities in West Java province, but there were no immediate reports of damage inland.

The quake also was felt in Jakarta, especially by office workers in high-rise buildings, prompting some to evacuate to the streets. It was the latest in a series of powerful earthquakes to rock Indonesia in recent weeks.

On May 27, a strong earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale rocked Central Java's cultural city of Yogyakarta and nearby areas, killing around 6,000 people and injuring thousands of others.

Indonesia is located along the Pacific volcanic belt known as the "Ring of Fire," where earthquakes and volcanoes are common.

On December 26, 2004, a 9.1 earthquake off the west coast of Sumatra triggered a massive tsunami that slammed into nine countries and destroyed half of Aceh's capital, Banda Aceh, and several coastal villages.

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