Indonesia: 62 Dead, 584 İnjured İn Sunda Strait Tsunami

At least 62 people died, over 580 injured when a tsunami -- likely caused by a volcanic eruption -- hit Indonesia's Sunda Strait Saturday night, according to the country's national disaster agency.



20 people are missing and many buildings were damaged after the tsunami which mostly affected the Pandenglang area, South Lampung and Serang, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of the National Disaster Management Agency said.



In Pandeglang, 33 people died, 491 people were injured, 400 houses were severely damaged, 9 hotels were severely damaged, and 10 ships were severely damaged, Nugroho said in a written statement.



"The affected areas are settlements and tourist areas along the coast such as Tanjung Lesung Beach, Sumur, Teluk Lada, Penimbang and Carita. The time of many tourists visit the beach along Pandeglang," the statement read.



In South Lampung, 7 people died, 89 people were injured and 30 houses were severely damaged. While in Serang, 3 people died, 4 people were injured and 2 people were missing, it added.



According to the country's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency, the tsunami could have been triggered by undersea landslides after the eruption of Anak Krakatau.



The agency said the tsunami struck around 24 minutes after the volcanic eruption.



Emergency teams are dispatched to the disaster-hit area while heavy equipment is also deployed to assist evacuation and emergency repairs, Nugroho said.



Indonesia lies within the Pacific Ocean's "Ring of Fire" where tectonic plates collide and cause frequent seismic and volcanic activity.



Last September, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake had struck the country's Sulawesi Island, which triggered a tsunami in the cities of Donggala and Palu that towered up to 10 feet (3 meters) high, killing over 2,000 people.



On Dec. 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck the eastern coast of Sumatra, triggering a tsunami that killed around 230,000 people as it tore along the coasts of Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. -