Indonesian tsunami dead now at 650
Indonesian tsunami dead now at 650
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Saturday, 22, Jul 2006 05:32
More than 650 people are feared dead following a tsunami which hit the Indonesian island of Java, on Monday July 17th, with the discover of 100 bodies in the last few days.
A further 300 people have been reported missing after huge waves crashed into the island's beach resorts and fishing villages in the aftermath of a 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck near the town of Pangandaran at 15:19 local time (09:19 BST).
The lack of a warning system in the region left local residents unaware of the approaching tsunami following the underwater quake, with efforts to establish sophisticated alert procedures around the Indian ocean in the aftermath of the 2004 Asian tsunami disaster yet to be realised.
Although Java's coastal area was spared from the infamous catastrophe, which killed 216,000, including a number in Indonesia's Aceh province, many residents hit by last week's tsunami recognised the impending danger when they witnessed the sea receding and fled to higher ground.
The Indonesian vice president, Jusuf Kalla, correctly predicted that the death toll from the latest tsunami was likely to rise in the coming days.
"In a tsunami, it is possible that the number [of dead] will increase, especially those who are missing or who have been washed away to sea," he told local radio.
Indonesian troops and police are continuing to assist in the search for the missing, as rescuers sift through the debris of destroyed hotels and houses along Java's coastline.
Several bodies were also found in trees at Pangandaran beach near the town of Ciamis, which lies some 270 km (170 miles) south-east of Jakarta.
Relief provisions, including tents and food, arrived in the region last week to support the thousands of people who are now displaced having fled their homes.
Indonesia, whose 17,000 islands form part of the seismically active area known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, is particularly prone to earthquakes.
On May 27th, an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale killed more than 5,700 people after striking near the city of Yogyakarta in central Java.