Tsunami in Indonesia

On october 26, a tragic event occured in Sumatra, Indonesia. The tsunami hit this specific location killing more than 100 people and have many missing. For many who don't know what a tsunami is, it is a series of large waves made in the ocean or other bodies of water by an earthquake, landslide, or volcanic eruption. Tsunamis can cause huge destruction when they hit coastlines. This kind of tsunami occured like an earthquake beneath the ocean. Scores of houses were destroyed by waves after the 7.7 magnitude quake, which struck 20km (13 miles) under the ocean floor. Ten villages on the islands were swept away by the tsunami, a disaster official told the AFP news agency. Many people are trying to investigate and rescue any known survivors but heavy rain is preventing helicopters from accessing the area and boats cannot reach the islands either because the dock on the island of South Pagai has been destroyed. Poor communications have also made it hard for officials to gain accurate information, our correspondent adds. As things get worse, as the disaster comes as thousand of people are being evacuated from the area around the Mt Merapi volcano in central Java, after it began erupting.

Eyewitnesses say a huge wave was created by the quake, which seriously damaged villages or even washed them away entirely. Waves reached 3m (10ft) high and the water swept inland as far as 600m on South Pagai island, said Mudjiharto - the head of Indonesia's health ministry crisis centre, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name. He said 200 body bags were being sent to the region in case they were needed. A group of Australians caught up in the tsunami have described how their boat was destroyed by a wall of water. They said that they felt a bit of a shake underneath the boat, then minutes later, they heard an almigty roar. The wave brought another boat crashing into them and sparked a fire, forcing them to jump into the sea.
Some of those on board were swept up to 200m inland by the wave, he said. Past similar events happened, such as the earthwuake off Sumatra that killed more than 1,000 people in September 2009.