The southern part of the Indonesian island of Java has been hit by a tsunami, which was set off Monday by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean about 240 kilometers southwest of the island’s west-coast. The quake measured 7.7 on the Richter Scale. As a result, the waves which hit the coastline were as tall as 2-3 meters.
Among the tsunami-struck cities are Pangandaran, which is a popular tourist destination. At least 250 people are reported killed and at least 80 people are missing, according to the Indonesian Red Cross.
It is still unknown whether any Norwegians are among the missing, although several Norwegians were in the area when the tsunami struck. Among the eye-witnesses were the relatives of the Norwegian woman Ika Bruun.
”It was quite terrible. People fled from the waves in panic,” she tells the Norwegian news-site VG Nett. Large parts of her family are currently in Cilap, which is one of the coastal villages that has been struck by the tsunami.
”One of my sister’s friends was out fishing, when he saw the waves coming. He then immediately phoned them and told them to find a safe place,” Ika Bruuns says.
”Luckily it went well. But a few hundred meters from my sister’s house, 2-3 meter tall waves had swept over the houses. It is awful,” she says.
