Over 330 people killed in Indonesia tsunami

PANGANDARAN – Rescuers desperately sifted through wreckage yesterday for survivors of a tsunami that killed more than 330 people and left dozens missing when it slammed into Indonesia’s Java coast.

In a harrowing reminder of the 2004 disaster that left 220 000 dead across Asia, walls of water up to three metres high smashed ashore Monday, toppling buildings and sending thousands of terrified residents fleeing. The tsunami was triggered by a 7,7-magnitude undersea earthquake off the south coast of Java island, where no early warning system had yet been put in place and many residents had no inkling of the tragedy to come.Heff Martin, a 26-year-old Swiss office worker, said he and his fiancee had only moments to “think with clear heads and use common sense” to save their lives.”There were people screaming outside the hotel, so one of the hotel staff went outside to see what was happening.He came back screaming, ‘There is a wave, there is a wave.The sea is coming, the sea is coming!’” Martin recalled.”We quickly ran to the second floor and soon the waves came in and crashed into the first floor…We were there for about five minutes, and we went up to the rooftop by breaking through the ceiling.”At least 337 people were killed and 510 injured across six districts along Central and West Java provinces, the health ministry said.Some 150 were still missing while 52 700 had been displaced by the surges of water, the head of the ministry’s crisis centre, Rustam Pakaya, told AFP.Most deaths were in the resort area of Pangandaran in West Java’s Ciamis district, about 270 kilometres southeast of Jakarta, he said.Agus Sutrisno, head of disaster relief in Ciamis, said more than 1 500 workers were combing coastal areas for survivors and bodies.”We suspect there are still many people buried under the debris.We lack heavy equipment such as backhoes and electric chainsaws,” he said.A 26-year-old Frenchwoman previously thought dead was found alive, the French ambassador said in Jakarta, while Sweden’s foreign ministry said one of its nationals had died in the disaster.Hamed Abukhamiss, a 40-year-old Saudi Arabian covered in scratches and cuts, told AFP that he had brought the bodies of his wife and son to a hospital morgue himself.”I don’t know how I’m alive – it’s a miracle,” he told AFP, his voice quivering as he choked back tears.The whereabouts of two Swedish children reported missing remained unknown.Tsunami alerts were issued for parts of Indonesia and Australia but they did not reach the victims as no early warning system was in place.- Nampa-AFPThe tsunami was triggered by a 7,7-magnitude undersea earthquake off the south coast of Java island, where no early warning system had yet been put in place and many residents had no inkling of the tragedy to come.Heff Martin, a 26-year-old Swiss office worker, said he and his fiancee had only moments to “think with clear heads and use common sense” to save their lives.”There were people screaming outside the hotel, so one of the hotel staff went outside to see what was happening.He came back screaming, ‘There is a wave, there is a wave.The sea is coming, the sea is coming!’” Martin recalled.”We quickly ran to the second floor and soon the waves came in and crashed into the first floor…We were there for about five minutes, and we went up to the rooftop by breaking through the ceiling.”At least 337 people were killed and 510 injured across six districts along Central and West Java provinces, the health ministry said.Some 150 were still missing while 52 700 had been displaced by the surges of water, the head of the ministry’s crisis centre, Rustam Pakaya, told AFP.Most deaths were in the resort area of Pangandaran in West Java’s Ciamis district, about 270 kilometres southeast of Jakarta, he said.Agus Sutrisno, head of disaster relief in Ciamis, said more than 1 500 workers were combing coastal areas for survivors and bodies.”We suspect there are still many people buried under the debris.We lack heavy equipment such as backhoes and electric chainsaws,” he said.A 26-year-old Frenchwoman previously thought dead was found alive, the French ambassador said in Jakarta, while Sweden’s foreign ministry said one of its nationals had died in the disaster.Hamed Abukhamiss, a 40-year-old Saudi Arabian covered in scratches and cuts, told AFP that he had brought the bodies of his wife and son to a hospital morgue himself.”I don’t know how I’m alive – it’s a miracle,” he told AFP, his voice quivering as he choked back tears.The whereabouts of two Swedish children reported missing remained unknown.Tsunami alerts were issued for parts of Indonesia and Australia but they did not reach the victims as no early warning system was in place.- Nampa-AFP