Send to Kindle
An aerial view shows a devastated village two days after a tsunami hit the island of Siporapora, part of the Mentawai islands, West Sumatra, Indonesia, 27 October 2010. Photo by EPA/BGNES
Death toll of tsunami victims in Indonesia reached 272, officials have announced.
Rescue teams on the Mentawai Islands said that 412 people were still missing two days after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit Indonesia and triggered a tsunami, which washed away 10 villages on the Pagai Islands.
Officials have announced that there were faults with the early warning system, designed to alert people for waves, higher than 3 meters.
However, having in mind the location of the Pagai Islands, even a functioning warning system may have not been enough to rescue the locals.
"Pagai Islands is very close to the epicenter, so the waves reached Pagai Islands in just 5-10 minutes. Even if the buoy is on, it is still too late to warn people," said Ridwan Jamaluddin, of the Indonesian Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology, as cited by the BBC.
Indonesia's President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, will cut short his trip to Vietnam. He will visit the islands to oversee the relief operations, which have been seriously hampered by bad weather.
The wave was triggered by the quake which struck 20 km under the ocean late Monday.
The population of the Mentawai Islands is not large, but they are a popular surfing spot.
Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago, is prone to quakes and volcanic activity due to its location on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire.
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
Indonesia is grappling with a mounting crisis as rescue teams mobilize to evacuate thousands of people following a series of volcanic eruptions that have rattled the region
The intense earthquake that rattled Taiwan early Wednesday, led to equipment damage at the semiconductor giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC)
A powerful earthquake has struck Taiwan, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake
A devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake has struck Taiwan's east coast, leaving one person dead and over 50 injured
A pair of powerful earthquakes, registering magnitudes of 5.2 and 5.7, have struck Southwest Greece, sending tremors through the region and triggering concerns over potential damage.
Montenegro was jolted awake by a powerful earthquake in the early hours of this morning, sending shockwaves across the region
The European Parliament has voted to impose a €10,000 limit on cash payments within the European Union
French President Emmanuel Macron issued a stark warning to Europe, urging the continent to confront the challenges of a rapidly changing world
In a recent statement, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov issued a stern warning to Poland, asserting that any permanent deployment of NATO nuclear weapons on Polish soil would render the country a military target for Russia.
Reports confirm that Ukraine has deployed long-range ballistic missiles provided by the United States in secret, targeting Russian forces in occupied territories
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has pledged to take all necessary measures to compensate for the six-month delay in receiving a new 61 billion dollars US aid package
Russia has declared its intention to repatriate 48 deported Ukrainian children to their families, according to Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian Commissioner for Children's Rights
UN Happiness Report: Bulgaria's Astonishing Leap in Rankings
Bulgaria: 3 Regions With Lowest Life Expectancy - EU Report 2022
