A tsunami triggered by an underwater landslide from volcanic eruptions has killed at least 222 people and injured hundreds on the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra.
The tsunami struck late on Saturday night, almost without warning, along the rim of the Sunda Strait.
The tragedy has taken a heavy toll in a country all too familiar with natural disasters.
Reuters has put together a timeline of recent quakes and tsunamis in the southeast Asian nation which shows just how disaster-prone the county is.
Timeline:
- 2004: A massive 9.1 magnitude quake on the western coast of Aceh province in northern Sumatra on December 26 triggers a tsunami that strikes 14 countries, killing 226,000 people along the Indian Ocean coastline, more than half of them in Aceh.
- 2005: A series of strong quakes hit the western coast of Sumatra in late March and early April. Hundreds die in Nias Island, off the coast of Sumatra.
- 2006: A shallow quake rocks the area around the ancient royal city of Yogyakarta in Java, killing at least 5500 and destroying or damaging 150,000 homes.
- 2006: A 6.8 magnitude quake hits south of Java, triggering a tsunami that smashes into the southern coast, killing nearly 700 people.
- 2009: A 7.6 magnitude quake strikes near the city of Padang, capital of West Sumatra province. More than 1100 people are killed.
- 2010: A 7.5 magnitude quake hits one of the Mentawai islands, off Sumatra, triggering a tsunami of up to 10 metres that destroys dozens of villages and kills around 300 people.
- 2016: A shallow quake hits the Pidie Jaya regency in Aceh, causing destruction and panic. No tsunami is triggered, but more than 100 are killed by falling buildings.
- 2018: Major quakes hit the tourist island of Lombok, killing more than 500 people, mostly on the northern side of the island.
- 2018: More than 2000 people are killed by a powerful earthquake and tsunami that hit the city of Palu, on the west coast of Sulawesi island.
Reuters
