AP
TSUNAMI HITS JAVA
Death toll nears 40
Reuters
(Update: Monday, 9-30 pm IST)
A tsunami triggered by a strong undersea earthquake off the southern coast of Java island swept away buildings at an Indonesian beach resort on Monday and killed nearly 40 people, an official and media reports said.
The news spread panic across a region still recovering from a tsunami less than two years ago that left nearly 230,000 people killed or missing, mostly in Indonesia. But there were no reports of casualties or damage in any other country from Monday's tsunami.
Waves up to 1.5 metres (five feet) high crashed into Pangandaran Beach near Indonesia's Ciamis town, around 270 km (170 miles) southeast of Jakarta, and a local official said 37 people had been killed. The toll could rise, he said.
"We have evacuated 37 dead bodies. The number could grow because when we went to the shore, rescuers were trying to evacuate more bodies," Rudi Supriatna Bahro told Metro TV.
The Ciamis councilman said areas up to half a kilometre (550 yards) from the beach were affected, with flimsily constructed buildings flattened.
"We need tents, food and medical aid for the displaced."
Robert Simatupang of the Indonesian Red Cross disaster crisis center in Jakarta said it had sent rescuers to the scene.
"Over 10 dead bodies have been identified and there are hundreds who are still missing," he said, although he cautioned that some of the missing may simply be separated from family.
The country's official Antara news agency reported several deaths had also occurred at two other beach resorts in Java.
"An earthquake has happened and then was followed by a tsunami on the southern coast of Ciamis (regency)," Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono earlier told reporters.
"... the search is still going on to find those who probably have been swept away by the tsunami waves."
A tsunami warning for Java's southern coast and nearby Christmas Island was issued by the U.S.-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. Police on Christmas Island, an Australian territory south of Indonesia, said there was no damage there.
Death toll could be about 20 - (Update - Monday, 7-30 pm)
The extent of damage from today's wave was not immediately clear, police said, with roads blocked and power cut to much of the area.
Santi, a tourist at Pangandaran resort, which according to initial reports appeared to be hardest hit, told The Associated Press she saw around 20 bodies piled up at a local health clinic. Many Indonesians only go by one name.
Officials at the clinic could not immediately be reached for comment. Earlier police and other witnesses said they saw up to six corpses among the debris, but it was not clear if they were part of the same toll.
The epicenter of the 7.2-magnitude quake that spawned the wave was 48 kilometres (30 miles) beneath the Indian Ocean and 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of Java. It caused tall buildings to sway as far off as the capital Jakarta, and was followed by a series of strong aftershocks.
Waves measuring between 10 and 20 centimetres (3 to 7 inches) were also recorded on Indonesia's resort island of Bali and near Australia's Coco Islands, meteorological officials said.
Five People Killed
Update from Agencies - Monday 4-30 pm IST
At least five people were killed Monday when a two-metre-high tsunami, triggered by a strong earthquake, slammed into Indonesia's Java island, according to reports.
A witness who identified herself as Teti told el-Shinta told a local radio station that the tsunami had damaged hotels and houses along the beach.
She also said three people were killed and four others missing.
Transport Minister Hatta Radjasa was also reported as telling el-Shinta that he had heard reports of a tsunami striking two seaside towns.
"Everyone should move from the beach,'' he said.
First report
Monday, 3-45 pm IST
Jakarta, Jul 17: An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.2 triggered a tsunami warning on Monday on Indonesia's Java Island and Australia's Christmas Island, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said.
The earthquake, which hit at 3.24 p.m. (1.54 p.m. IST) caused tall buildings to sway in the Indonesian capital and at least one other city on Java Island for at least two minutes, witnesses said.
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.2 triggered a tsunami warning on Monday on Indonesia's Java Island and Australia's Christmas Island, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said.
"There is a possibility of a destructive local tsunami in the Indian Ocean," Japan's Meteorological Agency said in a statement, adding that if triggered, waves should start reaching shores in the region within an hour.
However, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre although it issued an earlier bulletin warning of a possible tsunami, said that based on historical data there was no threat it would be destructive or widespread.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage in Indonesia or on Christmas Island.
"We haven't felt anything," Katrina Bird, a tourism official on Christmas said by telephone.
Indonesia is prone to earthquakes because of its location on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.
A massive 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami killed at least 216,000 people - nearly half of them in Indonesia's Aceh province.