Year ender - VOLCANIC TSUNAMI TAKES YEAR-END VACATIONERS BY SURPRISE by Fardah by Fardah

Jakarta, Dec 27, 2018 (Antara) - Vacationers, mostly constituting state electricity company PLN employees, were enjoying music played by rock band "Seventeen" under full moon at Tanjung Lesung Beach, Banten, when a tsunami struck without warning on late December 22, 2018.

        Over 100 people, including three musicians and a crew member of Seventeen, as well as 41 PLN employees and family members, were found dead in Tanjung Lesung alone, following the volcanic tsunami affecting five districts in Banten and Lampung District.

        The reason behind the lack of warning is the surprise source of the waves. Unlike past events triggered by earthquakes, this tsunami was caused by a landslide associated with the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau, or the Child of legendary Mount Krakatoa.

        A large part of the southern flank of the volcano slid into the ocean in the evening of December 22, 2018, according to images from the European Space Agency's Sentinel-1 satellite, reported by www.nationalgeographic.com.

        Some 20 minutes after the flank collapse, a wall of water roared ashore, sweeping up everything in its path, including boats, tables, and people along coastal regions facing Sunda Strait, where Mount Anak Krakatau is located.

        Anak Krakatau, situated between the islands of Java and Sumatra, had been undergoing a stuttering eruption since June 18, and an alert status has been declared for it.

        The death toll from the Sunda Strait tsunami reached 430. At least 1,495 people were injured, 159 people went missing, and 21,991 others displaced.

        Spokesman of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Sutopo Purwo Nugroho stated on December 26, 2018, that the number of casualties might increase, as rescuers and volunteers were still attempting to reach remote coastal villages in Lampung and Banten that might have been affected by the tsunami.

WORLD LEADERS EXTEND SYMPATHIES OVER DEADLY SULAWESI EARTHQUAKE by Fardah

Jakarta, Oct 2, 2018 (Antara) - Indonesia is not alone in grieving over the devastation caused by a deadly earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit several districts in Central Sulawesi Province on September 28, 2018.

         Several world leaders have expressed sympathies and condolences over at least 1,234 deaths, 799 injured, 99 missing, and nearly 60 thousand displaced people in Central Sulawesi. Some of the leaders have also offered assistance.

        Among the world leaders are US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, United Arab Emirates President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

        "It sends across a strong message that we are not alone in these difficult times," President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) wrote on his Facebook account, according to information on the Cabinet Secretary's official website on October 2, 2018.

        Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Wiranto revealed that 18 countries -- the United States, France, Czech, Switzerland, Norway, Hungary, Turkey, the European Union (EU), Australia, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, India, and China -- have pledged help.

TSUNAMI SURVIVORS ACCEPT FATE WITH GREAT ENDURANCE by Fardah

     Jakarta, July 19, 2006 (ANTARA) - A magnitude 8.9 earthquake and subsequent tsunami which devastated Aceh and Nias (North Sumatra) on December 26, 2004, caused almost unbearable grief and suffering among the population. Many people were kiled or went missing while survivors had to cope with injuries, or the loss of loved ones or property.
     The deadly tsunami from the Indian Ocean killed around 168,000 people in Indonesian western-most province of Aceh and Nias (North Sumatra), rendered almost one million people homeless and destroyed around 80 percent of infrastructures in the worst-hit areas. Some 130,000 people were believed still missing due to the huge waves.

Doomsday in Indonesia by Hani Mumtazah

Jakarta, January 18, 2005 (Islam Online - IOL) - The weather was quite fine on the morning of Sunday, December 26, 2004, in Meulaboh, Aceh, Indonesia’s northern-most province. It was almost 8.00 a.m. local time. Suddenly, a strong earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale shocked the inhabitants. 

When the quake calmed down, the people were amazed to see that the water had drawn back as far as 500 meters from the coastline. The newly exposed area was sandy and full of floundering fish.