Indonesian rescuers are searching for survivors at the site. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - Indonesian rescuers onDecember 25 used drones and sniffer dogs to search for survivors along thedevastated west coast of Java hit by a tsunami that killed at least 373 peopleand injured more than 1,400 others.
At least 128 people remain missing and more victims are expected to beuncovered as the search expands.
Thousands of residents had to move to higher ground, with a high-tide warningextended to December 26.
Yusuf Latif, spokesman for the national search and rescue agency said there areseveral locations that they previously thought were not affected. However, theyare now reaching more remote areas as in fact there are many victims there.
Authorities and experts have warned of further high waves and advised residentsto stay away from the shoreline.
Since Anak Krakatau has been actively erupting for the past several monthsadditional tsunamis cannot be excluded, said Dr. Prof Hermann Fritz from theGeorgia Institute of Technology in the United States.
The tsunami, which came after a volcanic eruption, hit beaches in South Sumatraand the western tip of Java at about 9.30 pm local time on December 22. Itcaused severe impacts to areas surrounding the Sunda Strait, including beachesin Pangegland, Serang and South Lampung.
Authorities say the tsunami may have been triggered by an abnormal tidal surgedue to a new moon and an underwater landslide following the eruption of AnakKrakatoa, which forms a small island in the Sunda Strait between Java andSumatra.
Indonesia, one of the most disaster-prone nations on earth, straddles theso-called Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide and alarge portion of the world’s volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur. AnakKrakatau is one of 127 active volcanoes which run the length of thearchipelago.
Most recently, a quake and tsunami killed thousands of people in the city ofPalu on Sulawesi island in September.
In 2004, a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 9.3 undersea earthquake off thecoast of Sumatra in western Indonesia killed 220,000 people in countries aroundthe Indian Ocean, including 168,000 in Indonesia.
President Joko Widodo told disaster agencies to install early warning systems,but experts said that, unlike tsunami caused by earthquakes, little could havebeen done in time to alert people that waves were coming.-VNA
VNA
