Death Toll From Indonesia Tsunami at 327 (At the time of the article there was only believed to be dead approximately 50 people. That has increased.)
Aussies set to help in tsunami-hit area
Australia has sent defence officials to Java and put emergency personnel on standby after another tsunami killed more than 320 people and forced a further 25,000 to flee their homes.
The defence force officers will assess damage caused by the tsunami that smashed into south-western Java following a 7.7 magnitude underwater earthquake off the island's coast.
Emergency Management Australia is continuing to monitor active volcanoes throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
Waves up to 1.5 metres high crashed into Pangandaran beach near the town of Ciamis, 270km south-east of Jakarta.
Up to 15 aftershocks, including quakes greater than six in magnitude, have been recorded since the initial event late on Monday afternoon.
No Australians were injured in the tsunami, although five managed to reach high ground near Pangandaran beach with thousands of other people.
Australians at the scene of the tsunami described a huge sound which hit the area just ahead of the waves.
"We heard this roar like a waterfall, a huge waterfall, coming closer and closer, and it was very, very windy," expatriate Australian teacher Wayne Proctor said.
"We ran out into the street ... Had we been inside the hotel, I'm sure we would have been dead."
Prime Minister John Howard, who visited nearby East Timor on Tuesday, extended Australia's sympathy to Indonesia for the disaster.
"Might I ... take this opportunity of extending my sympathy to the government and people of Indonesia for the loss of life as a result of the latest tsunami and to wish the recovery efforts every success," he told reporters in Darwin.
An initial tsunami warning was issued across the Indian Ocean, but a Bureau of Meteorology tide gauge at Christmas Island only recorded a wave of 60cm.
Christmas Island Shire President Gordon Thomson (Thomson) said the island, as it rose sharply out of the ocean, was not susceptible to tsunami waves.
Police evacuated some residents from The Cove, a low-lying part of the island with a population of 300, although many chose to stay at home.
"We had 20 minutes warning and the police evacuated part of one of the settled areas at The Cove," Cr Thomson said.
"It was basically not considered a threat. After about half an hour it was assumed there was nothing to be worried about."
Geoscience Australia seismologist Dr David Jepson said the earthquake which precipitated the tsunami was a major one, but still many times smaller than the devastating earthquake which sparked the tsunami on Boxing Day 2004.
"It had 1,000 times less energy than the big one which occurred two years ago. It was big but not massive," he told ABC Radio.
Labor foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd said following the Boxing Day tsunami, and an earthquake in May that killed more than 5,000 people around the Javanese city of Yogyakarta, the latest tsunami was a tragedy.
"This is yet again a terrible loss of life to the people of Indonesia," Mr Rudd said.
"Our heart goes out to them, it seems they simply recover from one natural disaster to then have to confront another."
North Sulawesi volcano forces thousands from their homes
Jongker Rumteh, The Jakarta Post, Manado
July 18, 2006
Mt. Karangetang on Siau island in Sangihe regency, North Sulawesi, has been spewing clouds of hot ash and lava for the last five days, forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents, an official said.
In a meeting Sunday with Golkar Party central board chairman Theo L. Sambuaga, Sangihe Regent Winsu Salindeho said the level of activity at the volcano was threatening residents of the island.
"Flows of lava have spewed from the volcano's crater, accompanied by thunderous sounds, and the lava has approached residential areas," Salindeho told Theo, who had just returned from Bolaang Mangondow, also in North Sulawesi, where he handed over assistance to victims of a flood in Dumoga village.
Theo told the regent to continue monitoring the volcano and report the latest developments to the central government to ensure the people of the island received the necessary assistance in the event of a major eruption.
"Pak Salindeho, don't leave your people alone. Stay with them and monitor the situation. In case something serious happens, don't hesitate to contact me in Jakarta to ask for help as soon as possible," Theo said.
Meanwhile, the head of East Siau district, R. Areros, also expressed concern Monday over the activity at Mt. Karangetang. He said many residents of Taloarane village, which is located at the foot of the mountain, had refused to evacuate despite the danger.
"We have had eruptions before, and in previous incidents residents also refused to evacuate," said one resident of Taloarane village, Ronald, by mobile phone.
Ronald said he and other residents were continuing their normal activities, despite the danger from the nearby volcano.
However, some residents have left the village, moving in with relatives who live farther from the volcano.
Areros said that according to data from his office, the number of people living in the "danger zone" who would have to be evacuated in the event of an eruption was more than 1,000.
"However, many of them have refused to move despite our efforts to convince them to evacuate," he said.
He did say about 1,100 people had moved into the homes of relatives located in safer areas, while another 96 people were being accommodated in tents provided by the Sangihe regency administration.
Areros said lava continued flowing up to 1.5 kilometers from Mt. Karangetang's crater. The peak of the activity was Wednesday, when the volcano spewed out six clouds of hot ash to a height of about 1,500 meters.
According to data at the mining resources and energy office in Manado, Mt. Karangetang's first registered eruption was in 1675, with no casualties recorded. This was followed by eruptions in 1712, 1825, 1864, 1883 and 1885.
More eruptions were recorded in 1887, 1892, 1899, 1900, 1905, 1921, 1922, 1924, 1926, 1930, 1935 and 1940, which killed two people, injured nine others and devastated nearby coconut and nutmeg plantations.
