CNN reported, the tsunami appears to have been triggered by a combination of underwater landslides caused by the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano in the Sunda Strait that lies between the islands of Java and Sumatra.
Eyewitnesses described fleeing for their lives as beachfront hotels and homes were swept away by a towering wall of water on Saturday evening. The waves caused a stage to collapse in the Tanjung Lesung beach resort while holidaymakers and locals were watching the Indonesian pop band Seventeen.
The tsunami has destroyed 558 houses and heavily damaged nine hotels, 60 restaurants and 350 boats, indicating the tsunami hit residential and tourist areas. Nugroho said 843 people have been injured and 28 are currently unaccounted for. As of now, no foreigners have been found to have been killed.
A volcanic eruption in Krakatoa in 1883 was one of the deadliest in recorded history at the time, killing more than 36,000 people. Kathy Mueller, a spokeswoman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Indonesia, told CNN that the organization expected the death toll to rise.
Red Cross teams are bringing in basic household items, clean water and equipment to help clear away debris, Mueller said. Hundreds of people have been left injured after the tsunami hit. The United Nations’ World Food Programme said in a statement it stood ready to support the Indonesian government.