2018 has not been a good year for Indonesia.
The Southeast Asian nation was nursing the wounds afflicted by September's Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami when it was hit by yet another tragedy.
This time from a volcanic eruption which led to the subsequent Sunda tsunami. Here's what we know so far.
What caused the Sunda tsunami?
On December 22, the coastal towns of Sumatra and Jawa were battered when waves from the ocean swept in, killing close to 300 people and injuring thousands.
The numbers are expected to rise.
While Indonesian authorities have begun relief missions, experts have pinpointed the cause of the Sunda tsunami.
It is believed that an underwater landslide caused by the continuous eruption of the Anak Krakatau volcano as the source which led to the tsunami.
The waves - estimated to be between 30cm to 90cm in height - were believed to have happened a day before the Anak Krakatau volcano erupted.
What do we know about Anak Krakatau?
Anak Krakatau is a direct translation for "Child of Krakatoa". The volcano was formed in 1928 after its predecessor, Krakatoa, erupted in 1883. That eruption was considered one of the worst in history.
Its eruption had apparently disrupted weather patterns with countries as far as Australia and Mauritius were able to hear the explosion.
Growth of Anak #Krakatau #volcano since May 2018 from @planetlabs imagery. Fairly rapid recent expansion to the south could possibly have caused some flank instability. Still awaiting post-#tsunami imagery to assess any changes. @Sutopo_PN @vulkanologi_mbg @id_magma pic.twitter.com/ETLqo68Awf — Simon Carn (@simoncarn) December 23, 2018
With continuous lava flow, the Anak Krakatau grew from a tiny volcano island into a cone shaped lava spewing mountain with the height of 300 meters within the span of 135 years.
It is continuously growing as it erupts every two to three years. The scary part? We've seen nothing yet.
Will there be another tsunami?
Jumlah korban dan kerusakan akibat tsunami di Selat Sunda per 23/12/2018 pukul 16.00 WIB tercatat 222 orang meninggal dunia, 843 orang luka-luka & 28 orang hilang. Kerusakan fisik: 556 unit rumah rusak, 9 unit hotel rusak berat, 60 warung kuliner rusak, 350 kapal-perahu rusak. pic.twitter.com/7esz00fnD7 — Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) December 23, 2018
Possibly, because Anak Krakatau is still spewing lava as I'm writing this.
While Indonesia has warned people living in coastal areas to stay away from its beaches, the authorities have admitted that the loss of lives could have been prevented or reduced had it set up proper warning alert systems.
Indonesia’s natural disaster agency has revealed that the country's tsunami buoy network has not been operational since 2012.
In Sentinel-1 image of Krakatau (Dec. 22, 2018, 22:33:45 UTC), somethings are captured. https://t.co/ZIxDqjqMsk by @sentinel_hub #EarthObservation pic.twitter.com/wIxnltpnsH — R. Natsuaki (@flyingwktk) December 23, 2018
“Vandalism, a limited budget, and technical damage mean there were no tsunami buoys at this time. They need to be rebuilt to strengthen the Indonesian tsunami early warning system," spokesperson for the agency, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho reveals.
Meanwhile, countries such as the United States of America, Russia, France, Poland, Singapore and many other have extended their condolences to Indonesia.The Singapore Red Cross (SRC) has become the first to provide humanitarian aid in the from of S$50,000.
Hang in there, Indonesia.
