M A I N   N E W S

Tsunami kills 86 in Indonesia

Jakarta, July 17
A two-metre-high tsunami crashed into beach resorts and fishing villages on Indonesia’s Java island today, killing at least 86 persons, leaving scores more missing and sending thousands fleeing to higher ground, witnesses and officials said.

Regional agencies issued bulletins saying a magnitude 7.7 earthquake that had struck beneath the Indian Ocean was strong enough to send a killer wave hurtling toward Indonesia, the country worst hit by the 2004 tsunami.

Thousands of people fled to higher ground along a 180-kilometre stretch of the densely populated island’s southern coast, some shouting “tsunami, tsunami” and climbing trees or crowding into mosques to pray.

Indonesia was the worst hit by the 2004 tsunami and has installed a warning system across much of Sumatra island, but not on Java, which was hit by a powerful quake that killed thousands.

The extent of damage from today’s wave was not immediately clear, the 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, said she saw around 20 bodies piled up at a local health clinic.

A local official said 37 persons 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,’ the official added. — AP