Earthquake and Tsunami
Volcano
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/10/26/indonesia.quake/index.html?hpt=T2Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) -- At least 103 people were killed and 150 others were missing after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off Sumatra on Monday and triggered a tsunami, Indonesian officials said Tuesday.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake generated a "significant" tsunami.
Although communication with remote areas was difficult, some witnesses in West Sumatra reported seeing a wave 6 meters (nearly 20 feet) high. Other reports described the tsunami as being about 3 meters high.
One report said at least one village with a population of about 200 people was swept away, with only 40 people recovered.
Video: Earthquake kills dozens in Indonesia Video: Indonesia quake explained
Map
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U.S. National Earthquake Information Center
The Indonesian Ministry of Health previously had said more than 300 people were missing but later decreased that number.
Eight to 10 Australians on board a tourist vessel who had been feared missing were reported to be safe, according to Henri Dori Satoko, head of the Mentawai Islands parliament. "All foreign tourists are safe," Satoko said.
The numbers of dead and injured were in flux because information was trickling in from remote parts of Indonesia, a country made up of myriad islands. The area believed hardest-hit was the Mentawai Islands, a popular surfing destination. In particular, Pagai Island was thought to have been affected, said Ita Balanga, a program manager for World Vision in Padang, Indonesia.
Large waves were keeping rescue crews and aid workers from reaching the area. A team including representatives from the Indonesian Red Cross had set out for the area, but Balanga said they likely had not arrived, as the trip takes 10 hours under good conditions and will likely take longer because of high seas.
The quake struck at 9:42 p.m. Monday, triggering a tsunami warning that was later lifted when sea level readings indicated the threat had diminished or was over for most areas. Its epicenter was 240 kilometers (150 miles) south of Padang, at a depth of 20.6 kilometers (12.8 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The magnitude was revised upward from a preliminary magnitude of 7.5.
"Big, slow, long earthquake last night, and a couple tremblers afterwards," WavePark Mentawai Surfing Resort said on its website. "Turns out it was a 7.5 about 70 km south of us." The resort said it saw "about six waves on the beach after about 20 minutes" but none were higher than usually seen during high tide.
"No damage here, but reports of damage to other resorts and charter boats further south," the posting said.
"The local residents in the Mentawai Islands reported seeing a tsunami as high as 3 meters [that] reached as far as 600 meters inland," said Mujiharto of the Indonesian Health Ministry.
Surf travel company The Perfect Wave, which said it had 32 clients in the area, also described the wave in a statement as about 3 meters (10 feet) high, and said it washed through a bay where two boats with clients on board were docked. One boat hit the other, which caught on fire, and all the guests jumped overboard. Nine guests and five crew members were washed into the jungle and took more than an hour to make their way to safety, the company said.
All those aboard were picked up by a third boat and were safe "apart from suffering some smoke inhalation and minor scratches," the statement said.
A surf guide aboard the third boat reported "there was a lot of debris floating in the water including bar stools and other pieces of furniture from Macaronis Resort," the company said. "No news on the state of the village at Silabu."
The resort, where six clients were staying, is "all but gone," the statement said.
"It's very difficult to access the coast right now because the sea is quite bad," said Gilles Bordessoule, owner of the Siloinak Surf Resort. He said his property was unaffected, but his staff was attempting to help the Macaronis Resort, which was "completely destroyed" along with two others. Two of the Macaronis guests are missing, he said.
He said the only means of communication with the affected area is by satellite phone, which is how he found out about the resort and received some other information. The fate of the other 130 kilometers of coastline is unknown, he said.
Bordessoule said he had been in contact with authorities and residents of the area and was told between 150 and 180 people are dead and body bags are needed.
Balanga said her organization is working with the Indonesian government and the United Nations to figure out how to get to the hardest-hit area. Indonesian government resources have been sent to central Java, where Mount Merapi was erupting, she said, but said her group hopes one or two helicopters will be freed up to help with the quake and tsunami response. She said she is receiving information from a local non-governmental organization as well as others in the region.
The Perfect Wave said it was working to obtain replacement passports for its clients and organize flights home.
The city of Padang and the Mentawai Islands are at the meeting place of two tectonic plates, making them vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis.
On December 26, 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck off northern Sumatra. A tsunami generated by that earthquake killed more than 225,000 people in 14 countries -- mainly India, Indonesia, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The Indonesian region of Banda Aceh was hard-hit: About 150,000 died there.
Volcano
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/10/26/indonesia.volcano/index.html?hpt=T2Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) -- The Mount Merapi volcano in Indonesia erupted at least three times Tuesday, forcing thousands of nearby residents to flee.
Mount Merapi, which looms on the horizon north of the major city of Yogyakarta, is one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes and lies in one of the world's most densely populated areas. The volcano has a summit elevation of nearly 10,000 feet (3,000 meters).
Some nongovernmental relief agencies were poised to offer immediate help. One of them was World Vision Indonesia, a Christian relief and development agency.
"Right now, our biggest concern is the children," said Fadli Usman, World Vision Indonesia's rapid assessment team leader. "Children are always forgotten in the early moments of a disaster like this. My first task will be to assess the needs of the children and their families in the evacuation centers so our team can begin to help them."
Video: Volcano erupts in Indonesia
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Mount Merapi
Usman said about 1,500 people -- mostly women and children -- had found refuge at a four-building shelter about 7 miles (12 kilometers) from the volcano. The evacuees, he said, are worried about the men who stayed behind to guard their homes and fields on the mountain.
A dusting of ash covered motorbikes and cars at the shelter parking lot, the relief worker said. The heavy ash fallout also obscured any view of the mountain from his location, he said.
Usman had reported earlier that traffic was heavy as people left the region near the mountain. The traffic was not chaotic, he said, and the road was open and under control.
