Maybe "grace" but then again hes a male thats stronger than females with the advantage of being on stage. Being on stage thats a little higher than most when the wave came in. I'm sure the stage helped him survive.
INTL 'Volcano tsunami' hits Indonesia after Krakatoa eruption
Maybe "grace" but then again hes a male thats stronger than females with the advantage of being on stage. Being on stage thats a little higher than most when the wave came in. I'm sure the stage helped him survive.
Melodi
Disaster Cat
My husband pointed out that he looks like a very fit young man, the water is not as cold in that part of the world as it would be in Europe and that if he was very lucky and didn't get pulled under or hit by something then the young and strong have the best chances to survive something like this.
He also mentioned the being on stage and being more likely to be able to grab something and hang on to it as a flotation device.
In a situation like this, it really is a combination of factors that determine who lives and who doesn't and often there's just a lot of luck (of perhaps divine intervention) involved.
For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
https://abcnews.go.com/Internationa...ls-officials-warn-giant-sea/story?id=59982310
Tsunami death toll in Indonesia crosses 400; officials warn that second giant sea wave is possible
By Bill Hutchinson
Dragana Jovanovic
Dec 25, 2018, 2:12 AM ET
Video
https://s.abcnews.com/images/International/Indonesia-nc-jpo-181223_hpEmbed_21x16_992.jpg
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Watch: Search for survivors after deadly tsunami hits Indonesia
Tsunami death toll in Indonesia crosses 400; officials warn that second giant sea wave is possible
By Bill Hutchinson
Dragana Jovanovic
Dec 25, 2018, 2:12 AM ET
Adek Berry/AFP/Getty Images
WatchSearch for survivors after deadly tsunami hits Indonesia
Scores of people were killed and many more were injured or unaccounted for when a tsunami hit the island nation of Indonesia without warning Sunday following a volcanic eruption and underwater landslides miles offshore.
By early Monday morning, officials were warning residents and tourists to stay as far away from coastal areas as possible, as continued volcanic eruptions from Mount Anak Krakatau could potentially trigger a second devastating tsunami.
At least 429 people died, more than 1,400 were injured and another 158 are missing as the wave came crashing ashore on the northwest coast of Java, one of the large islands comprising the country, officials said early Tuesday.
(MORE: Indonesia's tsunami early warning system hasn't worked since 2012, official says)
The number of dead and injured were both likely to rise, officials said on Sunday.
More than 600 housing units and at least nine hotels were destroyed or badly damaged in the tsunami, according to Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, head of public relations for the Indonesian National Disaster Mitigation Agency. He said more than 16,000 people have been displaced.
Fauzy Chaniago/AP
A man reacts after identifying his relative among the bodies of tsunami victims in Carita, Indonesia, Dec. 23, 2018.
Nugroho said at least 430 houses and nine hotels were destroyed or badly damaged in the tsunami.
The tsunami was likely caused by underwater landslides that came on the back of the eruption of the Anak Krakatau volcano in the Sunda Strait, about 60 miles off the coast of Java, Indonesia's Meteorological, Climatological and Geological Agency said. The tsunami struck 24 minutes after the volcanic eruption.
The devastation may have been exacerbated by an inoperable tsunami early warning system, which, due to a lack of funding, vandalism and technical problems, hasn’t been operational since 2012, Sutopo said.
It was Indonesia’s second tsunami this year, and it struck in a flash, officials said. A tsunami that struck the island of Sulawesi in September briefly was preceded by a potent earthquake on land that caused the ground to shake but gave the coastal population precious extra minutes to head inland.
On Saturday night, the tsunami blasted the shoreline without warning, sucking beachgoers into the raging sea with the overwhelming force of a giant magnet.
Antara Foto/Bisnis Indonesia/Nurul Hidayat via Reuters
An aerial view is captured of Anak Krakatau volcano during an eruption at Sunda strait in South Lampung, Indonesia, in this photo taken by Antara Foto, Dec. 23, 2018.
more +
The Krakatau volcano is part of the sprawling, horseshoe-shaped natural disaster zone dubbed the "Ring of Fire". The zone stretches 25,000 miles from New Zealand up through Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan, and then across the Aleutian Islands and down the coasts of Alaska, Canada, the West Coast of the United States and all the way down to the tip of South America.
In one dramatic scene caught on video, the Indonesian pop band "Seventeen" was on stage performing at the Tanjung Lesung beach resort near the tip of Java when a wave of water plowed into the stage and washed the band members into the audience.
Veri Sanovri/Xinhua via Newscom
Locals clean debris at Sumur district of Pandeglang, Banten Province, in Indonesia, Dec. 24, 2018.
In an emotional video posted on Instagram in the aftermath of the tsunami, Riefian Fajarsyah, the lead singer of "Seventeen," said the band's bass player and manager were killed. He said the group's lead guitar player, drummer and a crew member were missing.
Fajarsyah said his wife was also missing.
"Please pray so that my wife Dylan [Dylan Sahara] will be found soon," said Frajarsyah, sobbing.
President Donald Trump tweeted about the disaster, calling it "unthinkable devastation."
"More than two hundred dead and nearly a thousand injured or unaccounted for. We are praying for recovery and healing. America is with you!" Trump tweeted.
Speaking to a gathering of pilgrims at the St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Pope Francis asked the world to pray for the victims of the Indonesian catastrophe.
"My appeal is that these brothers and sisters may not lack our solidarity and the support of the international community," the pope said.
AFP/Newscom
Map locating the Anak Krakatoa volcano and the zone hit by a tsunami in Indonesia.
Pandeglang, Serang and South Lampung on the island of Java were the hardest-hit regions, according to authorities. The regions are a few hours west of the capital city of Jakarta with its population of almost 10 million people.
The most affected area was the Pandeglang region of Banten province in Java, which includes Ujung Kulon National Park and surrounding popular beaches.
Video footage from the disaster zones showed hundreds of homes in ruins and vehicles that had been tossed about like toys dotting the wreckage.
Antara Foto/Ardiansyah via Reuters
Residents, who lived at coast of Bandar Lampung, rest at a government building after they evacuated following a tsunami that hit Sunda strait in Lampung, Indonesia, in this Dec. 24, 2018, photo.
more +
A team of police officers combing collapsed buildings in a village north of Labuham on the northwest coast of Java island saved a 5-year-old boy found buried in the rubble. A video showed officers pulling the boy from a collapsed structure and carrying him to safety as he broke into tears.
Kathy Mueller of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies told ABC News that her organization mobilized teams to help in the search-and-rescue effort and to treat and help those saved.
Ed Wray/Getty Images
Rescue workers recover the body of a victim of the tsunami during a search at a resort hotel on in Tanjung Lesung, Indonesia, Dec. 24, 2018.
more +
"Their priority is to make sure that those who survived this tsunami are looked after as well as to make sure that if there is anyone at all trapped in the rubble, that they are rescued and brought to safety," Mueller said.
She said the rescue effort was being hampered by damage to main roads leading to and from the hardest hit areas.
Antara Foto/Asep Fathulrahman via Reuters
Bodies of tsunami victims are collected at a local health facility after a tsunami hit Carita in Pandeglang, Banten province, Indonesia, Dec. 23, 2018.
more +
"And, of course, it's also the rainy season so people whose homes have been destroyed or damaged, they may not have structures to sleep in tonight so ... we're bringing in things like tarpaulins to help provide at least some makeshift shelter," said Muller, adding that this is the third major natural disaster to hit Indonesia since late July.
She said many of those being treated in hospitals suffered cuts and scrapes.
Jorge Silva/Reuters
A man reacts after identifying a relative during a rescue operation at the beach front hotel, which was hit by a tsunami in Pandeglang, Banten province, Indonesia, Dec. 24, 2018.
more +
(MORE: Death toll from powerful earthquake and tsunami on Indonesian island tops 1,400)
"I want to express my deep sorrow for the victims in Serang, Pandeglang and Banten Province," Indonesian President Joko Widodo said in a statement translated from Indonesian, according to The Associated Press. "May those who are left be patient."
Fauzy Chaniago/AP
A tsunami survivor sits on a piece of debris as she salvages items from the location of her house in Sumur, Indonesia, Dec. 24, 2018.
Krakatau, a volcano located between the islands of Java and Sumatra, is known for the historic eruption in 1883 that blew the island apart and killed 30,000 people. It has erupted regularly since.
Prior to Saturday, Anak Krakatau erupted on Oct. 15.
(MORE: Tsunami warning in Alaska after powerful earthquake)
Adi Weda/EPA via Shutterstock
The bodies of tsunami victims are collected at a health facility after a tsunami hit the Sunda Strait in Pandeglang, Banten, Indonesia, Dec. 23, 2018.
more +
Indonesia was struck by a massive earthquake and tsunami in late September. The disaster hit Sulawesi, an island hundreds of miles northeast of Java. The disaster killed over 2,000 people and displaced 70,000 more.
ABC News' Maureen Jeyasooriar, Mark Osborne and Chris Francescani contributed to this report.
Posted for fair use.....
https://abcnews.go.com/Internationa...ls-officials-warn-giant-sea/story?id=59982310
Tsunami death toll in Indonesia crosses 400; officials warn that second giant sea wave is possible
By Bill Hutchinson
Dragana Jovanovic
Dec 25, 2018, 2:12 AM ET
Video
https://s.abcnews.com/images/International/Indonesia-nc-jpo-181223_hpEmbed_21x16_992.jpg
Log In
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01:53
05:46
Watch: Search for survivors after deadly tsunami hits Indonesia
Tsunami death toll in Indonesia crosses 400; officials warn that second giant sea wave is possible
By Bill Hutchinson
Dragana Jovanovic
Dec 25, 2018, 2:12 AM ET
Adek Berry/AFP/Getty Images
WatchSearch for survivors after deadly tsunami hits Indonesia
Scores of people were killed and many more were injured or unaccounted for when a tsunami hit the island nation of Indonesia without warning Sunday following a volcanic eruption and underwater landslides miles offshore.
By early Monday morning, officials were warning residents and tourists to stay as far away from coastal areas as possible, as continued volcanic eruptions from Mount Anak Krakatau could potentially trigger a second devastating tsunami.
At least 429 people died, more than 1,400 were injured and another 158 are missing as the wave came crashing ashore on the northwest coast of Java, one of the large islands comprising the country, officials said early Tuesday.
(MORE: Indonesia's tsunami early warning system hasn't worked since 2012, official says)
The number of dead and injured were both likely to rise, officials said on Sunday.
More than 600 housing units and at least nine hotels were destroyed or badly damaged in the tsunami, according to Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, head of public relations for the Indonesian National Disaster Mitigation Agency. He said more than 16,000 people have been displaced.
Fauzy Chaniago/AP
A man reacts after identifying his relative among the bodies of tsunami victims in Carita, Indonesia, Dec. 23, 2018.
Nugroho said at least 430 houses and nine hotels were destroyed or badly damaged in the tsunami.
The tsunami was likely caused by underwater landslides that came on the back of the eruption of the Anak Krakatau volcano in the Sunda Strait, about 60 miles off the coast of Java, Indonesia's Meteorological, Climatological and Geological Agency said. The tsunami struck 24 minutes after the volcanic eruption.
The devastation may have been exacerbated by an inoperable tsunami early warning system, which, due to a lack of funding, vandalism and technical problems, hasn’t been operational since 2012, Sutopo said.
It was Indonesia’s second tsunami this year, and it struck in a flash, officials said. A tsunami that struck the island of Sulawesi in September briefly was preceded by a potent earthquake on land that caused the ground to shake but gave the coastal population precious extra minutes to head inland.
On Saturday night, the tsunami blasted the shoreline without warning, sucking beachgoers into the raging sea with the overwhelming force of a giant magnet.
Antara Foto/Bisnis Indonesia/Nurul Hidayat via Reuters
An aerial view is captured of Anak Krakatau volcano during an eruption at Sunda strait in South Lampung, Indonesia, in this photo taken by Antara Foto, Dec. 23, 2018.
more +
The Krakatau volcano is part of the sprawling, horseshoe-shaped natural disaster zone dubbed the "Ring of Fire". The zone stretches 25,000 miles from New Zealand up through Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan, and then across the Aleutian Islands and down the coasts of Alaska, Canada, the West Coast of the United States and all the way down to the tip of South America.
In one dramatic scene caught on video, the Indonesian pop band "Seventeen" was on stage performing at the Tanjung Lesung beach resort near the tip of Java when a wave of water plowed into the stage and washed the band members into the audience.
Veri Sanovri/Xinhua via Newscom
Locals clean debris at Sumur district of Pandeglang, Banten Province, in Indonesia, Dec. 24, 2018.
In an emotional video posted on Instagram in the aftermath of the tsunami, Riefian Fajarsyah, the lead singer of "Seventeen," said the band's bass player and manager were killed. He said the group's lead guitar player, drummer and a crew member were missing.
Fajarsyah said his wife was also missing.
"Please pray so that my wife Dylan [Dylan Sahara] will be found soon," said Frajarsyah, sobbing.
President Donald Trump tweeted about the disaster, calling it "unthinkable devastation."
"More than two hundred dead and nearly a thousand injured or unaccounted for. We are praying for recovery and healing. America is with you!" Trump tweeted.
Speaking to a gathering of pilgrims at the St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Pope Francis asked the world to pray for the victims of the Indonesian catastrophe.
"My appeal is that these brothers and sisters may not lack our solidarity and the support of the international community," the pope said.
AFP/Newscom
Map locating the Anak Krakatoa volcano and the zone hit by a tsunami in Indonesia.
Pandeglang, Serang and South Lampung on the island of Java were the hardest-hit regions, according to authorities. The regions are a few hours west of the capital city of Jakarta with its population of almost 10 million people.
The most affected area was the Pandeglang region of Banten province in Java, which includes Ujung Kulon National Park and surrounding popular beaches.
Video footage from the disaster zones showed hundreds of homes in ruins and vehicles that had been tossed about like toys dotting the wreckage.
Antara Foto/Ardiansyah via Reuters
Residents, who lived at coast of Bandar Lampung, rest at a government building after they evacuated following a tsunami that hit Sunda strait in Lampung, Indonesia, in this Dec. 24, 2018, photo.
more +
A team of police officers combing collapsed buildings in a village north of Labuham on the northwest coast of Java island saved a 5-year-old boy found buried in the rubble. A video showed officers pulling the boy from a collapsed structure and carrying him to safety as he broke into tears.
Kathy Mueller of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies told ABC News that her organization mobilized teams to help in the search-and-rescue effort and to treat and help those saved.
Ed Wray/Getty Images
Rescue workers recover the body of a victim of the tsunami during a search at a resort hotel on in Tanjung Lesung, Indonesia, Dec. 24, 2018.
more +
"Their priority is to make sure that those who survived this tsunami are looked after as well as to make sure that if there is anyone at all trapped in the rubble, that they are rescued and brought to safety," Mueller said.
She said the rescue effort was being hampered by damage to main roads leading to and from the hardest hit areas.
Antara Foto/Asep Fathulrahman via Reuters
Bodies of tsunami victims are collected at a local health facility after a tsunami hit Carita in Pandeglang, Banten province, Indonesia, Dec. 23, 2018.
more +
"And, of course, it's also the rainy season so people whose homes have been destroyed or damaged, they may not have structures to sleep in tonight so ... we're bringing in things like tarpaulins to help provide at least some makeshift shelter," said Muller, adding that this is the third major natural disaster to hit Indonesia since late July.
She said many of those being treated in hospitals suffered cuts and scrapes.
Jorge Silva/Reuters
A man reacts after identifying a relative during a rescue operation at the beach front hotel, which was hit by a tsunami in Pandeglang, Banten province, Indonesia, Dec. 24, 2018.
more +
(MORE: Death toll from powerful earthquake and tsunami on Indonesian island tops 1,400)
"I want to express my deep sorrow for the victims in Serang, Pandeglang and Banten Province," Indonesian President Joko Widodo said in a statement translated from Indonesian, according to The Associated Press. "May those who are left be patient."
Fauzy Chaniago/AP
A tsunami survivor sits on a piece of debris as she salvages items from the location of her house in Sumur, Indonesia, Dec. 24, 2018.
Krakatau, a volcano located between the islands of Java and Sumatra, is known for the historic eruption in 1883 that blew the island apart and killed 30,000 people. It has erupted regularly since.
Prior to Saturday, Anak Krakatau erupted on Oct. 15.
(MORE: Tsunami warning in Alaska after powerful earthquake)
Adi Weda/EPA via Shutterstock
The bodies of tsunami victims are collected at a health facility after a tsunami hit the Sunda Strait in Pandeglang, Banten, Indonesia, Dec. 23, 2018.
more +
Indonesia was struck by a massive earthquake and tsunami in late September. The disaster hit Sulawesi, an island hundreds of miles northeast of Java. The disaster killed over 2,000 people and displaced 70,000 more.
ABC News' Maureen Jeyasooriar, Mark Osborne and Chris Francescani contributed to this report.
FaithfulSkeptic
Carrying the mantle of doubt
I knew Krakatoa had a history, but never read up on it much. For those interested, go read about the 1883 eruption. It was massive.
For links see article source.....
Pohttps://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/indonesia-tsunami-survivors-remain-jittery-as-deaths-hit-429/ar-BBRphU7?ocid=spartandhpsted for fair use.....
Indonesia tsunami survivors remain jittery as deaths hit 429
5 hrs ago
SUMUR, Indonesia (AP) — Panicked residents, police and soldiers in this remote fishing village clobbered by a devastating weekend tsunami ran to higher ground Tuesday, shouting "Water is coming! Water is coming!" and reciting verses from the Quran as emergency messages were broadcast over mosque speakers.
It proved to be a false alarm, but a similar frenzy broke out in Tanjung Lesung, another tsunami-stricken area located hours away, as unsettled survivors of the disaster remained traumatized by a tragedy that killed more than 420 people and left thousands homeless.
Meanwhile, Christmas celebrations were replaced by somber prayers, as church leaders called on Christians across Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, to pray for tsunami victims.
Unlike other tsunamis that have hit disaster-prone Indonesia following large earthquakes, Saturday's big waves blasted ashore at night without warning. The eruption of Anak Krakatau, or Child of Krakatoa, a volcano in the Sunda Strait, is believed to have created a landslide on the volcano's slope, displacing a large volume of water that slammed into the islands of Java and Sumatra.
People in Sumur village, which has been slow to receive aid due to roads being cut off, remained stunned by how quickly the tsunami hit. The beach, located just a few kilometers (miles) from the tourist island of Umang near Java's western tip, is popular for snorkeling and other water activities. The tsunami decimated the area, ripping houses from their foundations and bulldozing concrete buildings.
Scientists have said the tsunami's waves were recorded in several places at about 1 meter (3.3 feet) high, but residents of Sumur insisted they towered more than 3 meters (10 feet) there. They said a soaring white wall of water roared toward them at high speeds, ripping trees out of the ground by their roots.
"There was no sign of a tsunami when we were at the beach. The sea didn't recede," said Tati Hayati, a housewife, who was enjoying a pleasant evening with 10 other people when the disaster hit. "It was calm and bright with the full moon."
When she spotted high, fast-moving waves launching toward the shore, she ran to her car and managed to get inside. But she couldn't outrun it. She said the car was struck by three waves, breaking out the back window and filling the vehicle with gushing water.
"We were locked inside. The car was swaying in the waves and we thought we would all die," Hayati said. "We almost could not breathe and I almost gave up when I groped the key in the water and managed to open the door, and the water began to recede. We got out of the car and ran to safety."
The disaster was compounded because it occurred over a busy holiday weekend before Christmas when many people had fled crowded cities such as Jakarta, Indonesia's capital, to relax at popular beach areas.
Pastor Markus Taekz said Tuesday that his Rahmat Pentecostal Church in the hard-hit area of Carita did not celebrate Christmas with joyous songs this year. Instead, only about 100 people showed up for the service, which usually brings in double that number. Many congregation members had already left the area for locations away from the disaster zone.
"This is an unusual situation because we have a very bad disaster that killed hundreds of our sisters and brothers in Banten," Taekz said, referring to the province on Java island. "So our celebration is full of grief."
The death toll climbed to 429 on Tuesday, with more than 1,400 people injured and at least 128 missing, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for Indonesia's Disaster Mitigation Agency.
He said more than 16,000 people were displaced and that there was an urgent need for heavy equipment in the Sumur subdistrict near Ujung Kulon National Park to help get aid flowing and reach people who may be injured or trapped.
Military troops, government personnel and volunteers continued searching along debris-strewn beaches. Yellow, orange and black body bags were laid out where victims were found, and weeping relatives identified the dead. Many searched for missing loved ones at hospital morgues.
The lead singer of the Indonesian pop band Seventeen located the body of his dead wife after posting emotional posts on social media, vowing that he would not leave her. The group was performing at a beach hotel when the tsunami was captured on video smashing into their stage, killing several band members and crew.
Anak Krakatau is a volcanic island that formed in the early part of the 20th century near the site of the cataclysmic 1883 eruption of Krakatoa, which killed more than 30,000 people and hurled so much ash that it turned day to night in the area and reduced global temperatures.
The head of Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, Dwikorita Karnawati, said Saturday's tsunami was likely caused by Anak Krakatau's volcanic activity and so could not have been picked up by sensors, which monitor conventional earthquakes responsible for more than 90 percent of Indonesia's tsunamis.
She said the tsunami was probably caused by the collapse of a big section of the volcano's slope. Anak Krakatau has been erupting since June and did so again 24 minutes before the tsunami, according to the geophysics agency. Other scientists have said an underwater landslide may also have contributed to the disaster.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands and home to 260 million people, lies along the Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.
In September, thousands were believed killed by a quake and tsunami that hit Indonesia's Sulawesi island. A quake on the island of Lombok killed 505 people in August.
Saturday's disaster came ahead of the anniversary of the massive Asian tsunami that hit Dec. 26, 2004, after a magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra island spawned huge waves. The giant wall of water killed some 230,000 people in a dozen countries, most of them in Indonesia.
Pohttps://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/indonesia-tsunami-survivors-remain-jittery-as-deaths-hit-429/ar-BBRphU7?ocid=spartandhpsted for fair use.....
Indonesia tsunami survivors remain jittery as deaths hit 429
5 hrs ago
SUMUR, Indonesia (AP) — Panicked residents, police and soldiers in this remote fishing village clobbered by a devastating weekend tsunami ran to higher ground Tuesday, shouting "Water is coming! Water is coming!" and reciting verses from the Quran as emergency messages were broadcast over mosque speakers.
It proved to be a false alarm, but a similar frenzy broke out in Tanjung Lesung, another tsunami-stricken area located hours away, as unsettled survivors of the disaster remained traumatized by a tragedy that killed more than 420 people and left thousands homeless.
Meanwhile, Christmas celebrations were replaced by somber prayers, as church leaders called on Christians across Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, to pray for tsunami victims.
Unlike other tsunamis that have hit disaster-prone Indonesia following large earthquakes, Saturday's big waves blasted ashore at night without warning. The eruption of Anak Krakatau, or Child of Krakatoa, a volcano in the Sunda Strait, is believed to have created a landslide on the volcano's slope, displacing a large volume of water that slammed into the islands of Java and Sumatra.
People in Sumur village, which has been slow to receive aid due to roads being cut off, remained stunned by how quickly the tsunami hit. The beach, located just a few kilometers (miles) from the tourist island of Umang near Java's western tip, is popular for snorkeling and other water activities. The tsunami decimated the area, ripping houses from their foundations and bulldozing concrete buildings.
Scientists have said the tsunami's waves were recorded in several places at about 1 meter (3.3 feet) high, but residents of Sumur insisted they towered more than 3 meters (10 feet) there. They said a soaring white wall of water roared toward them at high speeds, ripping trees out of the ground by their roots.
"There was no sign of a tsunami when we were at the beach. The sea didn't recede," said Tati Hayati, a housewife, who was enjoying a pleasant evening with 10 other people when the disaster hit. "It was calm and bright with the full moon."
When she spotted high, fast-moving waves launching toward the shore, she ran to her car and managed to get inside. But she couldn't outrun it. She said the car was struck by three waves, breaking out the back window and filling the vehicle with gushing water.
"We were locked inside. The car was swaying in the waves and we thought we would all die," Hayati said. "We almost could not breathe and I almost gave up when I groped the key in the water and managed to open the door, and the water began to recede. We got out of the car and ran to safety."
The disaster was compounded because it occurred over a busy holiday weekend before Christmas when many people had fled crowded cities such as Jakarta, Indonesia's capital, to relax at popular beach areas.
Pastor Markus Taekz said Tuesday that his Rahmat Pentecostal Church in the hard-hit area of Carita did not celebrate Christmas with joyous songs this year. Instead, only about 100 people showed up for the service, which usually brings in double that number. Many congregation members had already left the area for locations away from the disaster zone.
"This is an unusual situation because we have a very bad disaster that killed hundreds of our sisters and brothers in Banten," Taekz said, referring to the province on Java island. "So our celebration is full of grief."
The death toll climbed to 429 on Tuesday, with more than 1,400 people injured and at least 128 missing, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for Indonesia's Disaster Mitigation Agency.
He said more than 16,000 people were displaced and that there was an urgent need for heavy equipment in the Sumur subdistrict near Ujung Kulon National Park to help get aid flowing and reach people who may be injured or trapped.
Military troops, government personnel and volunteers continued searching along debris-strewn beaches. Yellow, orange and black body bags were laid out where victims were found, and weeping relatives identified the dead. Many searched for missing loved ones at hospital morgues.
The lead singer of the Indonesian pop band Seventeen located the body of his dead wife after posting emotional posts on social media, vowing that he would not leave her. The group was performing at a beach hotel when the tsunami was captured on video smashing into their stage, killing several band members and crew.
Anak Krakatau is a volcanic island that formed in the early part of the 20th century near the site of the cataclysmic 1883 eruption of Krakatoa, which killed more than 30,000 people and hurled so much ash that it turned day to night in the area and reduced global temperatures.
The head of Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, Dwikorita Karnawati, said Saturday's tsunami was likely caused by Anak Krakatau's volcanic activity and so could not have been picked up by sensors, which monitor conventional earthquakes responsible for more than 90 percent of Indonesia's tsunamis.
She said the tsunami was probably caused by the collapse of a big section of the volcano's slope. Anak Krakatau has been erupting since June and did so again 24 minutes before the tsunami, according to the geophysics agency. Other scientists have said an underwater landslide may also have contributed to the disaster.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands and home to 260 million people, lies along the Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.
In September, thousands were believed killed by a quake and tsunami that hit Indonesia's Sulawesi island. A quake on the island of Lombok killed 505 people in August.
Saturday's disaster came ahead of the anniversary of the massive Asian tsunami that hit Dec. 26, 2004, after a magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra island spawned huge waves. The giant wall of water killed some 230,000 people in a dozen countries, most of them in Indonesia.
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
Which was preceded with many smaller eruptions for a good year or so before the big one hit, it still wasn't as big as Tambora which was a VEI7 that was the year without a summer.