https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/22/asia/dea ... index.html
At least 168 people have been killed and another 745 injured after a tsunami hit the coastline of west Java and Sumatra, Indonesia on Saturday.
There was no warning before the waves struck the Pandeglang district, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, head of public relations at Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency, said on television.
The tsunami was likely triggered by a combination of underwater landslides caused by volcanic eruption, the country's meteorological, climatological and geological agency said.
The confirmed dead included a member of the Indonesian rock band Seventeen that was playing when the disaster struck as well as a road member, according to the Indonesian newspaper the Jakarta Post. The newspaper said all the other band members were still missing. This was caught on tape.
https://youtu.be/umcHaN9l3Ys
Even though Indonesia was the worst country affected by the devastating Boxing Day 2004 tsunami that killed hundred of thousands of people, the country still lacks the proper equipment to alert that a tsunami threat is coming.
"This is new thing for us," Nugroho said, adding that Indonesia needs underwater sensors that would warn authorities of possible dangers.
"We need multi-hazard early warning system," he said. "And we need lots of it."
Nugroho pointed out that tsunamis are much faster and less predictable than tidal waves, which are caused by atmospheric conditions.
"We used to know that a tsunami happens after an earthquake. There was no quake last night. That is why there was no warning," he said referring to the underwater landslides.
The tsunami has destroyed 558 houses and heavily damaged nine hotels, 60 restaurants and 350 boats, indicating the tsunami hit residential and tourist areas.
Nugroho said, as of now, no foreigners were killed. The dead include only Indonesian tourists and locals.
"We are still gathering information," Nugroho said. "The worst hit area is Pandeglang district, along the coastal area, including residential and tourist areas in the Tanjung Lesung beach, Lesung beach, Teluk Lada, Panimbang and Carita beach."
