A woman sits by the debris of her kiosk near the beach in Carita after a tsunami hit Sunda Strait in Pandeglang, Banten province, in Indonesia, Dec. 23, 2018. (Xinhua/Wahyu Wening)
by Abu Hanifah
SERANG, Indonesia, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The volcano-triggered tsunami in Indonesia brought grim and dire atmosphere along the Anyer coast line in Serang, capital of Indonesia's Banten province.
Rubble from devastated houses and buildings scattered along the once popular beaches, while sirens from ambulances and vehicles carrying police, military personnel and volunteers sounded from time to time in the area that used to be a popular place for a weekend get-away.
Most hotels, resorts, restaurants and convenient stores were indefinitely closed after the tsunami hit the districts of Pandeglang and Serang in Banten province as well as the Lampung Selatan district of Lampung province on Saturday night, killing 222 people and injuring at least 843 others so far, according to Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) on Sunday night.
Among the devastated areas was a beach in Cinangka village in Anyer, which used to be popular for its white sands and spates of coconut trees. All constructions made of bamboo on the beach now were completely flattened.
Recalling the catastrophe, local restaurant owner Eki Prasetya, a lucky survivor, said the weather before the tsunami was "a bit strange."
"Last night was so peaceful, no rain and no wind as well. It was just different from the days before as rain always fell down marred with strong wind," Eki told Xinhua in Cinangka on Sunday afternoon.
His restaurant on the beach and his house nearby were destroyed by the tsunami.
The sea receded from the beach some 20 minutes before the tsunami hit, he said, adding he had no idea it was a sign for a tsunami as he did not feel any earthquake or other abnormality.
"But the volcano has been very active lately. We heard thunderous sound from the volcano direction quite often. But it's OK as it did not harm us here," Eki said.
An excavator cleans road from debris after a tsunami hit Sunda Strait in Pandeglang, Banten province, in Indonesia, Dec. 23, 2018. (Xinhua/Veri Sanovri)
When the tsunami occurred, however, louder thundering sound from the sea made him curious as the huge noises did not came from the volcano direction.
"I was in my house with my wife and my son when I suddenly realized water had already submerged floor. I held son and yanked my wife out of the house quickly," said 24-year-old Eki, the father of a toddler.
Eki said he watched his restaurant and his house, both made of bamboo, easily toppled down by the wave of the tsunami.
"The water that hit the beach was quite strong. I almost fell as I ran with my wife and my son. I saw everything that I built to earn my living gone in seconds. I don't have anything now," Eki said while collecting any valuable things from the debris that might be of use amid the choppy rain in the afternoon.
He put his wife and son to his parent's house in another village far away from the beach.
Meanwhile, the search and rescue teams are also busy looking for possibly more bodies and those trapped under the rubble, as well as preparing camps to accommodate those who lost their houses.
A coordinator of search team said over 700 people would be deployed in the search operations, which have been initially set for seven days from Sunday.
"We would set up the refugee camp in front of search team command center here tomorrow. We have also set up medical assistance facility here," Johnny Effendi told Xinhua in the search command center in Cinangka village.
Citing updated data, he said 12 bodies have been found around the village, with dozens injured and 31 missing.
The tsunami also damaged 556 houses, nine hotels, 60 restaurants and at least 350 vessels in the affected areas. The number of casualty is feared to rise search and rescue is underway, BNPB said.
BNPB Spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the tsunami in Sunda Strait was a rare disaster as it was not prompted by earthquakes like tsunamis usually are.