国际英语资讯:Death toll from Indonesia tsunami climbs to 373 as rescue efforts continue_时事

国际英语资讯:Death toll from Indonesia tsunami climbs to 373 as rescue efforts continue

The impact of the catastrophe was also amplified at the tourist destination when the tsunami struck Saturday night during a peak time of holiday.

High waves of 4-5 meters slammed into the shore, Endang Permana, head of emergency department of the disaster management agency in the district, told Xinhua.

Saturday night's tsunami in Banten crushed the popular beaches in western tip of Java island that happened to be flocked by holidaymakers who spent togetherness with their loved ones in many hotels and resorts alongside the beach.

The tsunami has displaced 5,665 people, who were taking shelter in evacuation centers, spokesman Sutopo said, adding that the figure dropped from 11,453 as many of the evacuees had returned home.

The tsunami also devastated a total of 681 houses, 69 hotels and villas, as well as 420 ships and boats, he said.

The meteorology and geophysics agency has banned activities in the coastal areas after the deadly tsunami, as the assessment of volcanic eruption risk was being taken.

On Dec. 26, 2004, a massive tsunami triggered by a powerful quake hit countries along the Indian Ocean, killing 226,000 people, including 170,000 in Aceh province of northern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra island.

Anak Krakatau, or Child of Krakatoa, is one of the 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia, a vast archipelagic nation home to 17,500 islands, sitting on a quake-prone zone of so-called "the Pacific Ring of Fire."