Indonesia tsunami: Death toll rises to 430

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02:01

The death toll from a volcano-triggered tsunami that struck beaches around the Sunda Strait in Indonesia on Saturday night has risen to 430, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesperson for Indonesia's national disaster agency, told media on Wednesday.

"430 people were killed, 1,495 were injured, 159 were missing and 21,991 were forced to flee their homes," according to Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

Authorities said that the tsunami, which took place at 9:27 p.m. local time (1427 GMT), may have been triggered by an undersea landslide resulting from volcanic activity on Anak Krakatau and was exacerbated by an abnormally high tide because of the current full moon.

The Sunda Strait, between the islands of Java and Sumatra, connects the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean.

Indonesian search and rescue workers identify a body in Carita, Pandeglang, Indonesia, December 24, 2018. /VCG Photo

Indonesia's disaster agency initially said there was no tsunami threat at all, but was later forced to issue a correction and an apology as it pointed to a lack of early warning systems for the high death toll.

"The lack of an early tsunami warning system resulted in heavy casualties because people did not have the time to evacuate," said the agency spokesperson on Monday.

Meanwhile, rescuers used heavy machinery, sniffer dogs, and special cameras to detect and dig bodies out of mud and wreckage as hopes of finding more survivors dwindled.

The tsunami was Indonesia's third major natural disaster in six months after a series of powerful earthquakes hit the island of Lombok in July and August. In late September, another earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit Palu on the island of Sulawesi, leaving over 2,000 dead.

Source(s): AFP