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| Mount Merapi in Java |
Between a tsunami and a volcanic eruption, things are not looking good for Indonesia.
The New York Times is reporting that health and rescue workers were still trying to reach some isolated areas in the Mentawai Islands nearly two days after a 7.7-magnitude quake sent a tsunami more than 10 feet high crashing into coastal villages.
Ade Edward, the emergency head of West Sumatra Province’s Disaster Management Agency said at least 272 people were killed and 412 were missing, according to the Associated Press. Thousands more have been displaced.
The tsunami, set off by a 7.7-magnitude undersea quake, slammed into the southern part of the remote Mentawai Islands, a popular destination for foreign surfers, particularly Australians. The surge reached as high as 10 feet and advanced as far as 2,000 feet inland, officials at the Health Ministry’s crisis center said.
On the island of Java, meanwhile, 30 people are dead and 13,000 displaced in the wake of Mount Merapi's eruption. The two disasters occurred within 24 hours of each other.
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