Indonesian officials apologize for announcing “no tsunami”

Streets at Carita beach were in disarray after the tsunami. Photo:AFP

A tsunami hit the coasts of the Sunda Strait on the evening of December 22, causing severe damage to Serang, Pandeglang and South Lampung. However, Indonesian authorities initially declared it was not a tsunami but a high tide and urged the public not to panic.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for Indonesia's Disaster Mitigation Agency, later apologized for the error on Twitter, saying that since there was no earthquake, it was difficult to determine the cause of the incident. "There was a mistake at the beginning, we apologize," he wrote.

The tsunami in the Sunda Strait was not the result of an earthquake but was more likely caused by the activity of Anak Krakatau, a young volcano that formed within Krakatau volcano off the coast of the Sunda Strait, after a violent eruption in 1883. Anak Krakatau erupted 24 minutes before the tsunami.

Nugroho said tsunamis triggered by volcanic eruptions were rare. "There was no earthquake and the Anak Krakatau eruption was not that big," he said, stressing that there was no major seismic event that signaled an impending tsunami.

Coastal residents also said they did not see or feel any signs such as receding waters or earthquakes before the huge waves crashed ashore.

168 people were killed and more than 700 injured in the disaster. Anak Krakatau is one of 127 active volcanoes in Indonesia. The 305-meter-high mountain, located 80 kilometers off the west coast of Java, began erupting in June, but its distance from land meant it was considered harmless. Indonesian authorities established a two-kilometer exclusion zone around the volcano in July.

When the Krakatoa volcano erupted in the 19th century, it sent a column of ash, rock and smoke more than 20 km high and created a giant tsunami. 36,000 people died in the disaster.