tsunami is a disaster that usually happens when there is an instability in the ground like an earthquake or volcano. In the latest occurrence in Indonesia, the eruption of an underground volcano gave rise to tsunami waves and killed at least 168 persons. It has destroyed communication links and the initial estimates are 745 injured with 30 missing but the figures could go up once normalcy returns.

New Zealand Herald reports a band group Seventeen was performing on a stage.

There was dancing and fans were cheering them on when the disaster struck. It was in the form of a massive 15-meter (49-foot) high wave that hit the coast and swept the stage away along with the artists who were there and their equipment. The tsunami had struck and an erupting volcano had triggered it late in the night causing widespread destruction across the Sunda Strait region.

Indonesia has faced a tsunami in the past

Tsunami is not new to Indonesia. In this case, the five-meter (16-foot) high wall of water reached nearly 20 meters (65-foot) inland across the coast. In the opinion of people in the know, it resulted from undersea landslides due to the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano. Recently, in September, a tsunami had hit the city of Palu on the island of Sulawesi.

The casualty figures were nearly 2000 people. Earlier to that, on Boxing Day 2004, a massive earthquake in the Indian Ocean triggered several tsunami waves. The death toll was in thousands and it affected multiple countries.

The tsunami has crippled Indonesia

According to CNN, the tsunami that struck Indonesia on Saturday night has left behind a trail of death and destruction.

The number of people killed is 168 people with another more than 700 injured but this is a tentative figure. The disaster has struck residential and tourist areas and destroyed hundreds of houses apart from hotels, restaurants, and boats.

Many residents have fled to shelters, there is no report of the death of any foreigner, and the dead included only Indonesian tourists and locals.

Experts feel the tsunami could be the result of a combination of several factors that led to a volcanic eruption and underwater landslides.

Red Cross has jumped into action. Kathy Mueller, a spokeswoman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Indonesia, has told a section of the media that it expects the death toll to rise. She went on to add that it is the holiday season and the affected areas would have been crowded with local tourists when the tsunami struck. Red Cross teams are extending all possible help to mitigate the sufferings of the people.
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