E. Java tidal wave death toll exceeds 200

JAKARTA (JP): The death toll from tidal waves that swept many fishing villages in southeastern Java on Friday reached 201 as a massive and unplanned relief operation began yesterday.

The spokesman for the East Java provincial governor said last night that the worst affected area was Banyuwangi regency, where 188 people were killed, the Antara news agency reported.

Nine people were killed in Jember, and there were two deaths each in Blitar, Malang and Tulungagung regencies.

The spokesman said a total of 406 houses were destroyed and 380 fishing boats, the source of livelihood for most of the affected people, were lost or damaged, most beyond repair.

Officials said the death toll could still rise because there are people who remain unaccounted for, either buried under the ruble, or fishermen who went astray during the tumult.

Troopers, police with dogs, and medical workers poured in to Banyuwangi during the weekend to help the grieving survivors cope with the aftermath of the disaster. They set up relief centers and helped them search for bodies of their relatives and clear out the debris.

Grief, concern, tension, fear and hope all mixed together as the search and relief operations proceeded in Banyuwangi, which continued to be rocked by mild quakes throughout the weekend, according to reports from the area.

Huge tidal waves battered villages along the southeastern coast of Java before dawn on Friday following an earthquake, measuring 5.9 on the Richter Scale in the Indian Ocean.

526 tremors

The Meteorology and Geophysics Office in Malang reported that a total of 526 tremors had been recorded since the first one on Friday through yesterday at noon.

The tremors were also felt in Bali which is located across Banyuwangi but officials there said that there were no casualties or destruction.

The disaster is the worst since tidal waves, also prompted by an earthquake, swept Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara province in December 1992, killing more than 2,000 people. It surpassed the massive earthquake that killed 200 people in Liwa, Lampung, last February.

Within the Banyuwangi regency, the fishing village of Pancer was the worst hit with 111 people dead, according to reporters from Surya, a Surabaya daily newspaper.

Relief operations in Pancer were delayed because of the poor roads to the village, which is about 70 km south of Banyuwangi. The roads were also clogged by people fleeing their villages.

Banyuwangi regency sent two platoons of infantrymen to search for bodies. They joined three units of the Search and Rescue (SAR) force who had arrived on Friday.

The Navy's Surabaya-based Eastern Armada sent two ships to the location, bringing troopers as well as food and medical supplies. The Marines have dispatched paramedics.

Surabaya's Dr. Soetomo hospital said it is sending a team with the chief task of preventing the spread of disease that normally follows after such disasters.

Three dogs from the Police's K-9 team took on the role of detecting bodies under the debris in Pancer. One of the dogs found two toddlers and an adult under one heap of debris.

Three government ministers visited Pancer yesterday to assure the grieving survivors that their fate was now getting government attention.

Relief operation

The three -- Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Azwar Anas, Minister of Social Services Endang Kusuma Inten Suseno and Minister of Public Works Radinal Moochtar -- stressed to officials supervising the relief operation the need to coordinate efforts and make sure that aid reaches their intended recipients.

"I want a complete regular report on the operation," Inten said.

"Remember the aid you are handling is mandated for many people," Azwar said repeatedly. Reports that relief aid for the victims of the Flores and Liwa disasters was misappropriated is apparently still haunting some officials.

Azwar demanded that local officials help the fishermen repair or buy new boats. "That's their source of livelihood."

Brawijaya Military Command Chief Maj. Gen. Haris Sudarno warned the local military and police officers not to touch a single cent of the relief aid. "Your job is to help distribution."

The first relief supplies came from neighboring villages in Banyuwangi, which were gathered spontaneously from the people who contributed rice, food and medicine. The military later came in with tents and more food and medicine.

Then there were cash contributions and pledges.

Minister Inten brought in Rp 100 million, and Minister Azwar another Rp 30 million.

The first cash pledges came from the Forestry Community with Rp 1 billion to be distributed through the Ministry of Social Services.

The Italian champion football team A.C. Milan, in Surabaya for a friendly match today, has pledged $10,000 and during practice yesterday held a minute of silence for the victims, the Antara news agency reported. (emb/pan)