Jakarta, December 23: The death toll in the tsunami triggered by volcanic eruptions has jumped to 222, officials said on Sunday. Hundreds mote are missing, whereas, nearly 800 have been confirmed to have sustained injuries ranging from moderate to serious in nature.

The tsunami has caused massive damages to properties, including hotels, coffee shops, and houses, as the rescue operations are still underway. The head of public relations at Indonesia's NDMA Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, took to Twitter, stating, "The number of victims and tsunami damage in the Sunda Strait as of 23/12/2018 at 4:00 pm recorded 222 people died, 843 people were injured & 28 were missing. Physical damage: 556 damaged houses, 9 heavily damaged hotel units, 60 damaged coffee shops, 350 broken vessels."

Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency said that the quake occurred at 9:03 pm (local time) when the Anak Krakatau volcano erupted, adding that the tsunami struck after 24 minutes.

"The Geological Agency detected at 21.03 local time that the Anak Krakatau (Child of Krakatoa) erupted. It's possible the materials around Anak Krakatoa collapsed to the sea and triggered the tsunami and affected beaches around Sunda Strait," the agency said in a statement. Tsunami in Indonesia Triggered by Volcano Activity Strikes Sunda Region; Kills at Least 168, Over 600 Injured.

The department further said that the tsunami was in all likelihood caused by a combination of underwater landslides in the aftermath of the volcanic eruption in Sunda Strait, some 156-km west of Indonesian capital of Jakarta.

 

(With Inputs from ANI)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 23, 2018 07:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).