Indonesia’s President: Tsunami Which Hit the Country Is of Vague Nature

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo said that relevant agencies could not warn of the tsunami which killed more than 280 people beforehand. He said about it on Monday after visiting Pandeglang Regency in Banten Province on the island of Java, news portal Detik reported.

“Experts still cannot name the exact reason for the disaster, so it is necessary to refrain from making conclusions,” Widodo said. “The tsunami is of a vague nature, and various agencies responsible for the warning could not detect its approach beforehand.”

The president noted that “the task was set for the corresponding agencies to check the operating equipment and urgently replace the failed elements of the nationwide system of early tsunami warning.”

“It will be done at the beginning of the next year,” Widodo said.

 Spokesman for the National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB) Sutopo Nugroho earlier reported that 281 people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured in the disaster. To date, 57 people are missing, but this figure is expected to grow. A total of 229 deaths were earlier reported.

Iran Offers Condolences over Indonesia’s Devastating Tsunami

In a message on Monday, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani offered condolences to the Indonesian government and people over the recent tsunami that has left hundreds of people killed and maimed.

‘The tragic news of Sunda Strait tsunami, which injured and claimed the lives of hundreds of people, is a deep sorrow to me,’ President Rouhani said in his message released on Monday to his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo.

‘On behalf of the Iranian government and people, I hereby offer my sincerest condolences to Your Excellency, the government and the people of Indonesia and wish the bereaved families patience,’ another part of the message read.

Following the eruption at the volcano of Anak Krakatau, tsunami waves stuck at Sunda Strait on Saturday.

As the volcanic activity continues and the eruption worsens, the environmental experts have warned that another tsunami may break out in the region.

The volcano-triggered tsunami has wounded over 1,016 and more than 30 people have gone missing.

Russia ready to help Indonesia create disaster early warning system

Meanwhile, Russia is ready to provide assistance in creating a natural disaster early warning system for Indonesia, where over 280 people have been killed in a devastating tsunami, chief of Russia’ state space corporation Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin said on Monday.

“We are ready to provide assistance for Jakarta in creating a natural disaster warning system. We have invited Indonesia’s Ambassador to familiarize with the possibilities of Russia’s orbital system of the Earth’s remote sensing,” Rogozin wrote on Twitter.

A tsunami struck areas of the Sundra Strait separating the islands of Java and Sumatra on the night of December 22. A spokesman for Indonesia’s National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB), Sutopo Nugroho, said the death toll has reached 281 and over 1,000 people have been injured. At the moment, 57 people have gone missing. The disaster is believed to have been caused by the eruption of the Anak Krakatau volcano.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo admitted that the country’s agencies had been unable to alert citizens about the tsunami threat. The president set the task to check the equipment and immediately replace non-effective elements of the nationwide tsunami early warning system.

Agencies

R.S