Volcano-triggered tsunami kills 222 in Indonesia: All your questions answered

Indonesia volcano tsunami: Authorities have warned residents and tourists in coastal areas around the Sunda Strait to stay away from beaches and issued a high-tide warning until December 25.

Tragedy struck Indonesia’s Sunda Strait on Saturday night as a tsunami triggered by a volcanic eruption killed at least 222 people and left 800 injured, sweeping away hotels, hundreds of houses and a group of people attending a beach concert. The tsunami sent a wall of water, some 20 metres inland, damaging hundreds of homes and other buildings in tourist hotspots of Pandeglang, Serang, South Lampung and popular Tanjung Lesung beach resort in west Java.

Authorities have warned residents and tourists in coastal areas around the Sunda Strait to stay away from beaches and issued a high-tide warning until December 25.The incident brought back memories of December 26, 2004, when a tsunami in the Indian Ocean triggered by an earthquake killed 2,26,000 people in 13 countries, including more than 1,20,000 in Indonesia.

What caused the tsunami? How many people have died?

The tsunami was caused by “an undersea landslide resulting from volcanic activity on Anak Krakatau” and was exacerbated by abnormally high tide because of the current full moon, Indonesia’s disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said. An earthquake geologist and a professor at the University of Michigan said the tsunami might have been caused by a “partial collapse” of Anak Krakatau.