Sunda Strait, 351 thousand people hit by the tsunami

The search and rescue operations for victims will continue until the state of emergency is lasted. The toll of the disaster has been updated: 426 victims, more than 7 thousand injured and over 40 thousand displaced persons.

Jakarta (AsiaNews / Agencies) - According to estimates by the Indonesian authorities, around 351,000 people are affected by the tsunami that hit the Sunda Strait (between the islands of Java and Sumatera) on 23 December, following the eruption of the volcano Anak Krakatoa.

The search and rescue operations for victims will continue until the state of emergency is lifted. In the province of Banten, one of the areas most affected by the disaster, this will continue until January 9th. However, the National Agency for the Mitigation of Disasters also repeats today that "the number of deaths is destined to rise", since the rescuers have not yet reached all the areas affected by the tsunami.

Today's bulletin updates the number of victims to 426, corrected from yesterday's 430. Compared to a day ago, however, the number of injured has jumped from 1,495 to more than 7,000, and that of displaced persons, from about 22 thousand to over 40 thousand. 

These include  2,032 of the 2,814 inhabitants of the island of Sebesi, the closest to the exclusion zone established by the government. Last night, a last group of 432 people reached the port of Panjang in Bandarlampung, the capital of the province of Lampung.

The tsunami devastated five districts: Pandeglang, Serang, South Lampung, Tanggamus and Pesawaran, all in the provinces of Banten and Lampung. Damages have also been reported to Panimbang Beach, Tanjung Lesung Beach, Teluk Lada Beach and Sumur Beach. In the disaster 882 homes were destroyed, 73 resorts and 60 businesses were damaged.