Scenes of destruction from the Indonesian tsunami
As rescue crews and survivors continue to search debris-strewn beaches for victims along Indonesia’s Sunda Strait, officials there say the death toll following a devastating tsunami on Dec. 22 has risen to at least 373.
Waves hurled without warning into buildings and swept people into the sea on Saturday night following a suspected undersea landslide — caused by an eruption — on Anak Krakatau, one of the world’s most infamous volcanic islands.
In addition to those killed by the surging sea water, Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency says well over 1,000 are injured or unaccounted for in areas along the coastlines of western Java and southern Sumatra islands, and the numbers could increase once authorities hear from all stricken areas.
“1,459 people are injured, while 128 remain missing,” said agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho in a statement.
Global Affairs Canada says it is not aware of any Canadians that have been affected by the tsunami, although the Canadian government has issued a new travel advisory for Indonesia following the disaster.
In a tweet on Dec. 23, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered his condolences to Indonesia and said Canada would be ready to send aid to the country if needed.
“A very shocking and tragic situation in Indonesia — today we send condolences to everyone affected by the tsunami that caused so much devastation on the Sunda Strait,” the tweet read. “Canadians’ thoughts are with you and our government is ready to offer assistance if needed.”
As of Dec. 24, Trudeau has not elaborated on the type of aid the government plans to send, nor offered a timeline for deploying it. Neither NDP leader Jagmeet Singh or Conservative leader Andrew Scheer have offered statements about the events in Indonesia.