Indonesia tsunami: Death toll mounts to over 280, more than 1000 injured

Jakarta: The death toll of the volcano-triggered tsunami in Indonesia mounted to 281 on Monday while the number of injured people is more than 1,000.

According to officials, the tsunami has been caused by a volcano known as the 'child' of the legendary Krakatoa.

The waves hit beaches in South Sumatra and the western tip of Java about 9.30 pm local time (1430 GMT) on Saturday leaving dozens of buildings in tatters.

The officials said that the tsunami may have been triggered by an abnormal tidal surge due to a new moon and an underwater landslide following the eruption of Anak Krakatoa, which forms a small island in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. 

The national disaster agency said that Indonesia's geological agency was investigating the cause.

Anak Krakatoa is a small volcanic island that emerged from the ocean half a century after Krakatoa's deadly 1883 eruption.

Indonesia, one of the most disaster-prone nations on earth, straddles the so-called Pacific 'Ring of Fire', where tectonic plates collide and a large portion of the world's volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur. 
The country regularly experiences deadly earthquakes, including most recently in the city of Palu on Sulawesi island where a quake and tsunami killed thousands of people.

Anak Krakatoa is one of 127 active volcanoes which run the length of the archipelago. 

(With agency inputs)