Forty three people have been killed and nearly 600 injured in a tsunami in Indonesia that may have been caused by a volcanic eruption.
Hundreds of buildings were destroyed by the waves, it hit beaches without warning in South Sumatra and the western tip of Java about 9.30pm local time on Saturday.
Authorities say 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.
Indonesia’s geological agency are still working to ascertain exactly how it happened.
Indonesian authorities initially claimed the wave was not a tsunami, but instead a tidal surge and urged the public not to panic.
Later they apologised for the mistake on Twitter, saying because there was no earthquake it had been difficult to ascertain the cause of the incident early on.
The wave swamped parts of the coast around the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra island, but was most damaging in Pandeglang district, on Java’s western tip.
Power is down and roads can’t be accessed easily.