A tsunami that pounded remote islands in western Indonesia following an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra killed more than 100 people, officials said yesterday, and hundreds more were missing.
The magnitude 7.5 quake hit 78km west of South Pagai, one of the Mentawai Islands, late on Monday. Local legislator Hendri Dori Satoko told Metro TV the latest toll was 108 dead and 502 missing.
Most buildings in the coastal village of Betu Monga were destroyed, said Hardimansyah, an official with the regional branch of the Department of Fisheries.
“Of the 200 people living in that village, only 40 have been found. 160 are still missing, mostly women and children,” he said by telephone. “We have people reporting to the security post here that they could not hold on to their children, that they were swept away. A lot of people are crying.”
A tourist boat carrying between eight and 10 Australians has been out of radio contact since the quake, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement.
The Macaronis surfing resort on North Pagai was also hit.
In an official press release, World Surfaris said Macaronis had “experienced a level of devastation that has rendered the resort inoperable.”
Reports via Facebook from a surfer at the resort suggested that all villas had been “wiped out” by the tsunami.
A report posted on the Surfaid Web site by one of the aid organization’s staff members described a 3m high tsunami crashing through the resort and boats knocking together, then bursting into flames.
On South Pagai, waves penetrated about 600m into coastal villages, while in North Pagai, waves reached to the roof of local houses, he said.
MERAPI ERUPTS
Meanwhile, the nation’s most volatile volcano started erupting yesterday, after scientists warned that pressure building beneath its dome could trigger the most powerful eruption in years.
Up to 20 people were injured by hot ash spewed from Mount Merapi, said a reporter who witnessed them being taken away for treatment.
Subandriyo, chief vulcanologist in the area, said the eruption started just before dusk after the volcano had rumbled for hours.
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