Tidal waves kill over 150 in East Java<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Tidal waves triggered by a major earthquake
\ndestroyed several settlements along the coast in the southeastern
\nJava town of Banyuwangi before dawn yesterday, killing more than
\n150 people.<\/p>\n
The huge waves which struck shortly before 2 a.m. caught most
\npeople in their sleep.<\/p>\n
The number of casualties is expected to continue to increase
\nas many survivors were still searching for their missing
\nrelatives in late afternoon yesterday, according to reporters
\nfrom the Surabaya-based Surya daily newspaper in Banyuwangi.<\/p>\n
Officials were not releasing casualty figures yesterday and
\nthe figures on the dead and wounded come from mostly unofficial
\nbody counts by Surya in five villages along the coast.<\/p>\n
The Pesanggaran district was the worst hit area, according to
\nthe reporters. In Pancer village, where over 200 houses were
\ndestroyed, 45 people were killed, in Lampon another 25, in
\nRajegwesi 21 and Pulau Merah 15.<\/p>\n
In nearby Purwoharjo district, 13 people were killed.<\/p>\n
The state network TVRI reported last night that 128 people
\nwere killed and more than 80 injured in Banyuwangi.<\/p>\n
A police officer in Banyuwangi said that there were at least
\n150 deaths, but stressed that this was not an official toll as
\nlocal government officials were still checking with the situation
\nin the field.<\/p>\n
The tidal waves came immediately after an earthquake measuring
\n5.9 on the Richter scale in the Indian Ocean southeast of Java.<\/p>\n
The tremor was felt in various cities in East Java, including
\nthe hill-towns of Malang and Jember, but there were no reports of
\ncasualties although there were some structural damage, according
\nto the Antara news agency.<\/p>\n
The Meteorology and Geophysics Office in Malang said that it
\nrecorded 30 more tremors of lesser intensity throughout the day
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
This is the second worst natural disaster to have hit
\nIndonesia this year. In February, some 200 people were killed
\nwhen an earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter Scale struck the
\ndistrict capital of Liwa in western Lampung.<\/p>\n
Tidal waves combined with a powerful earthquake killed over
\n2,000 people on Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara province in
\nDecember 1992.<\/p>\n
The Banyuwangi regency office yesterday set up tents and
\nopened community kitchens to accommodate the hundreds of people
\nwho have been left homeless by the tidal waves.<\/p>\n
"This is a big calamity for us," Regent T. Purnomo Sidik, as
\nhe toured the affected villages. "I'm appealing to the people's
\nsense of solidarity to give a hand to the victims."<\/p>\n
The Search and Rescue (SAR) agency has also sent its officers
\nto work alongside the military in searching for more bodies.<\/p>\n
Survivors of the tidal waves recounted that the water struck
\nunexpectedly, although many said they heard the roaring sound.<\/p>\n
"I thought it was the wind. But then suddenly we were hit by
\nwater," 60-year old Akas told the Surya as he was being treated
\nwith a foot injury at the Pessangaran health center.<\/p>\n
Akas still did not know what had happened to the other members
\nof his family.<\/p>\n
The village elders said there were omens of tragedy, because
\non Thursday night there was a Wayang Kulit puppet show with a
\nperformance of Semar Kethok Kuncung, a title that they said is
\nalways bound to anger the gods.<\/p>\n
Another survivor, a fish seller, recalled that he and 24
\nothers were on the coastline in Grajagan village waiting for the
\narrival of fishing boats when they saw the water suddenly rise
\nand batter them.<\/p>\n
Hasan, the survivor, recalled that many people tried to stay
\nafloat. "But even if you can swim, there was no way you could've
\nfought the strong wave."<\/p>\n
There were hysterical cries from women survivors as they went
\nthrough the ruble searching for their relatives, while hundreds
\nof homeless people left their villages looking for shelter with
\nrelatives in other villages.<\/p>\n
In Pancer, where 45 people were killed, people had to queue to
\nbury their dead because there weren't enough grave diggers,
\naccording to Surya reporters. (emb\/pwn\/pan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/tidal-waves-kill-over-150-in-east-java-1447893297",
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