Indonesia asks people to avoid coast near erupting volcano

Sumur (Indonesia): Indonesian authorities asked people to avoid the coast in areas where a tsunami killed more than 420 people last weekend in a fresh warning issued on the anniversary of the catastrophic 2004 Asian earthquake and tsunami.
The big waves that followed the eruption of Anak Krakatoa, or “Child of Krakatoa” island volcano, hit communities along the Sunda Strait on Saturday night. The eruption is believed to have set off a landslide on the volcano, displacing the water that slammed into Java and Sumatra islands.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Geophysics and Climatology Agency asked people late Tuesday to stay at least 500 meters (1,640 feet) and up to 1 kilometer (less than a mile) from the coastline along the strait, which lies between the two main islands. Government workers were monitoring Anak Krakatoa’s eruptions and high waves and heavy rain were possible Wednesday, said agency head Dwikorita Karnawati.
“All these conditions could potentially cause landslides at the cliffs of the crater into the sea, and we fear that that could trigger a tsunami,” she said at a news conference. She asked that communities remain vigilant but not panic.
The tsunami struck without warning, taking people by surprise even in a country familiar with seismic disaster. No big earthquake shook the ground beforehand, and it hit at night on a holiday weekend while people were enjoying concerts and other beach and resort activities.
It was a sharp contrast to the disaster that struck 14 years ago off the western coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra island. An enormous 9.1 magnitude earthquake rocked the area the day after Christmas, creating gigantic waves that surged far inland swallowing everything in their path. (AP)