Tidal waves kill over 150 in East Java

Tidal waves kill over 150 in East Java

JAKARTA (JP): Tidal waves triggered by a major earthquake
destroyed several settlements along the coast in the southeastern
Java town of Banyuwangi before dawn yesterday, killing more than
150 people.

The huge waves which struck shortly before 2 a.m. caught most
people in their sleep.

The number of casualties is expected to continue to increase
as many survivors were still searching for their missing
relatives in late afternoon yesterday, according to reporters
from the Surabaya-based Surya daily newspaper in Banyuwangi.

Officials were not releasing casualty figures yesterday and
the figures on the dead and wounded come from mostly unofficial
body counts by Surya in five villages along the coast.

The Pesanggaran district was the worst hit area, according to
the reporters. In Pancer village, where over 200 houses were
destroyed, 45 people were killed, in Lampon another 25, in
Rajegwesi 21 and Pulau Merah 15.

In nearby Purwoharjo district, 13 people were killed.

The state network TVRI reported last night that 128 people
were killed and more than 80 injured in Banyuwangi.

A police officer in Banyuwangi said that there were at least
150 deaths, but stressed that this was not an official toll as
local government officials were still checking with the situation
in the field.

The tidal waves came immediately after an earthquake measuring
5.9 on the Richter scale in the Indian Ocean southeast of Java.

The tremor was felt in various cities in East Java, including
the hill-towns of Malang and Jember, but there were no reports of
casualties although there were some structural damage, according
to the Antara news agency.

The Meteorology and Geophysics Office in Malang said that it
recorded 30 more tremors of lesser intensity throughout the day
yesterday.

This is the second worst natural disaster to have hit
Indonesia this year. In February, some 200 people were killed
when an earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter Scale struck the
district capital of Liwa in western Lampung.

Tidal waves combined with a powerful earthquake killed over
2,000 people on Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara province in
December 1992.

The Banyuwangi regency office yesterday set up tents and
opened community kitchens to accommodate the hundreds of people
who have been left homeless by the tidal waves.

"This is a big calamity for us," Regent T. Purnomo Sidik, as
he toured the affected villages. "I'm appealing to the people's
sense of solidarity to give a hand to the victims."

The Search and Rescue (SAR) agency has also sent its officers
to work alongside the military in searching for more bodies.

Survivors of the tidal waves recounted that the water struck
unexpectedly, although many said they heard the roaring sound.

"I thought it was the wind. But then suddenly we were hit by
water," 60-year old Akas told the Surya as he was being treated
with a foot injury at the Pessangaran health center.

Akas still did not know what had happened to the other members
of his family.

The village elders said there were omens of tragedy, because
on Thursday night there was a Wayang Kulit puppet show with a
performance of Semar Kethok Kuncung, a title that they said is
always bound to anger the gods.

Another survivor, a fish seller, recalled that he and 24
others were on the coastline in Grajagan village waiting for the
arrival of fishing boats when they saw the water suddenly rise
and batter them.

Hasan, the survivor, recalled that many people tried to stay
afloat. "But even if you can swim, there was no way you could've
fought the strong wave."

There were hysterical cries from women survivors as they went
through the ruble searching for their relatives, while hundreds
of homeless people left their villages looking for shelter with
relatives in other villages.

In Pancer, where 45 people were killed, people had to queue to
bury their dead because there weren't enough grave diggers,
according to Surya reporters. (emb/pwn/pan)