Hundreds dead and 'many missing' in Java and Sumatra after tsunami – as it happened

There is some TV dramatic footage of the tsunami crashing into a band while they perform on stage.

More than 100 employees of the state utility company PLN had gathered in Tanjung Lesung for an end-of-year event, a company spokesman has told Reuters.

Local rock band Seventeen was performing at the event when the tsunami crashes over the stage from behind the band, washing away the group and audience.

“The water washed away the stage which was located very close to the sea,” the band said in a statement. “The water rose and dragged away everyone at the location. We have lost loved ones, including our bassist and manager ... and others are missing.”

Indonesian authorities have warned people who have evacuated the Sunda Strait beaches region not to return until they are told it is safe.

Rahmat Triyono, the head of the meteorological agency, was quoted by Reuters as saying: “Please do not be around the beaches around the Sunda Strait. Those who have evacuated, please do not return yet.”

Australia’s department of foreign affairs is working to determine if any Australians are among the dead and injured.

“The Australian embassy in Jakarta is making urgent enquiries to determine whether any Australians have been affected by the tidal wave that hit beaches in the Sunda Strait area,” a departmental spokesperson said.

Emergency teams from the country’s disaster mitigration agency are not yet on the scene so local officials are doing their best to cope with the devastation.

Hundreds of homes and other buildings – including at least nine hotels – have been heavily damaged.

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Endan Permana, head of the agency in Pandeglang, told Metro TV that police were helping victims in Tanjung Lesung in Banten province.

“Many are missing,” Permana said adding that with information from many areas still to be compiled, there was a “possibility that data on the victims and damage will increase”.

Witness accounts are beginning to emerge to give us a picture of what has happened.

Agence France-Presse says that at Carita beach in Pandenglang, 15-year-old Muhammad Bintang described a sudden surge of water that plunged the tourist spot into darkness. He said:

We arrived at 9pm for our holiday and suddenly the water came – it went dark, the electricity is off. It’s messy outside and we still cannot access the road.

On the other side of the strait, in Sumatra, Lutfi Al Rasyid said he fled the beach in Kalianda city in fear for his life.

I could not start my motorbike so I left it and I ran... I just prayed and ran as far as I could.

The Indonesian geophysics agency says the Anak Krakatoa volcano erupted about 24 minutes before the tsunami.

The 305m-high (1,000ft) volcano is about 80km off the west coast of Java and has been erupting since June. In July, authorities widened its no-go areas to 2km from the crater.

Officials say it is rare for eruptions to trigger a tsunami which might explain the initial confusion in not calling it a tsunami.

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If the name Anak Krakatoa sounds familiar that’s because it was formed out of the remains of the famous Krakatoa volcano which blew its top in 1883. The name means Child of Krakatoa. That eruption was reckoned to be one of the biggest of all time and spewed ash and rock more than 20km into the sky, plunging the region into darkness. The blast was heard as far away as Alice Springs in central Australia. The disaster killed more than 36,000 people. Anak Krakatoa emerged from the caldera of that explosion.

There is a bit more detail about where the fatalities have occurred.

The worst affected area was the Pandeglang region of Banten province in Java, which encompasses the Ujung Kulon national park and popular beaches, the disaster management agency said. Of the deaths, 33 were in Pandeglang. There were at least three people dead in Serang, which is further north.

Alif, a resident in Pandeglang district who goes by one name, was quoted on Associated Press as saying that the tsunami reached about 3 metres (9.84 feet) high. He told MetroTV station that many people were still searching for missing relatives.

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The waves also spread west to Sumatra. In the city of Bandar Lampung on southern Sumatra, hundreds of residents took refuge at the governor’s office.

Sutopo said officials were still trying to work out the exact cause of the disaster.

In his very first tweet on the matter today, Sutopo said there had not been a tsunami and that it was a tidal wave caused by the full moon.

But he later deleted the tweet and corrected himself. Officials now believe it was caused by a combination of an eruption of Anak Krakatoa which cause undersea landslides, and the full moon tides.

The national disaster agency says the tsunami has affected an area between Serang and Pandenglang, which is on the very western tip of Java. It’s quite a big area stretching about 100km. Here’s a map to help get an understanding.

Information is sketchy about the damage caused but the agency’s spokesman, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, released a statement earlier this morning giving some details.

The regions most affected are Padenglang Regency, South Lampung and Serang. In Pandeglang District the affected areas are in the districts of Carita, Panimbang and Sumur. “Areas that were severely affected were settlements and tours on Tanjung Lesung beach, Sumur beach, Teluk Lada beach, Panimbang beach, and Carita beach,” he said.

Here is a link to the statement translated into English.

Hello and welcome to our blog on the tsunami that has hit the west coast of Java in Indonesia.

Here is what we know so far:

• The wave struck the area on the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra on Saturday, around 9.30pm local time.
• The national disaster agency says 43 people have been killed and nearly 600 are injured.
  
• A local disaster official said there were “many” people missing.
• It is believed that a combination of underwater landslides triggered by an eruption of Anak Krakatoa volcano and high tides around the full moon caused the tsunami.
• The disaster agency says it is still investigating the causes.
• Emergency teams have been sent to the area although the agency said the main road to the region was blocked.
  
• The wave hit villages and hotels along the coast – especially the areas of Pandenglang, South Lampung and Serang. The region is a popular getaway from the capital city, Jakarta, 180km away.
  
• One witness, a Norwegian photographer, said he had to run to higher ground to escape the wave.

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