Indonesia: tsunami likely triggered by ‘Anak Krakatoa’ volcano eruption kills at least 43, hundreds injured

• Possible cause of tsunami were undersea landslides after the ‘Anak Krakatoa’ volcano erupted
• Death toll expected to rise, authorities say

At least 43 people have been killed and another 584 injured in a tsunami in Indonesia that may have been caused by a volcano known as the “child” of the legendary Krakatoa, officials said.

Dozens of buildings were destroyed by the wave, which hit beaches in South Sumatra and the western tip of Java about 9.30pm local time on Saturday, national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

“We’re recapping reports of impacts from the tsunami that struck in the Sunda Strait, particularly Serang, Pandeglang and South Lampung,” Nugroho told Metro TV on Sunday morning, referring to the tidal wave linked to an earlier eruption of Anak Krakatau volcano.

Hundreds of homes were damaged in the incident, Nugroho said

Footage posted on Twitter by Nugroho showed the aftermath of the tsunami, with flooded streets and an overturned car.

Authorities say the tsunami may have been triggered by an abnormal tidal surge due to a new moon and an underwater landslide following the eruption of Anak Krakatoa, which forms a small island in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra.

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Indonesia’s geological agency was investigating the cause, Nugroho said, adding the death toll would likely increase.

A man who says he and his family survived the tsunami that hit the coast when he was taking pictures of a volcano Saturday night when he suddenly saw a big wave come toward him.

“I had to run, as the wave passed the beach and landed 15-20m (meters) inland,” Øystein Lund Andersen wrote on Facebook.

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“Next wave entered the hotel area where I was staying and downed cars on the road behind it. Managed to evacuate with my family to higher ground trough forest paths and villages, where we are taken care of (by) the locals. Were unharmed, thankfully.”

Anak Krakatoa is a small volcanic island that emerged from the ocean half a century after Krakatoa’s deadly 1883 eruption.

Indonesia, one of the most disaster-prone nations on earth, straddles the so-called Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’, where tectonic plates collide and a large portion of the world’s volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur.

The country regularly experiences deadly earthquakes, including most recently in the city of Palu on Sulawesi island where a quake and tsunami killed thousands of people.

Anak Krakatoa is one of 127 active volcanoes which run the length of the archipelago.