Death toll tops 400 in Indonesian tsunami

The death toll from a weekend tsunami in Indonesia rose to more than 400 people as rescue workers on Wednesday continued efforts to reach some inaccessible villages. The waves struck the coastlines of western Java and the southern Sumatra islands on Saturday after the Anak Krakatau volcano erupted and triggered an underwater landslide.

Disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said more than 430 people had been found dead as of Tuesday, with at least 159 others still missing. More than 1,400 people sustained injuries. Christian leaders on Christmas Day in the predominantly Muslim country called for prayers for the victims of the disaster.

Indonesia’s Meteorology, Geophysics, and Climatology Agency asked people late Tuesday to stay at least 1,640 feet away from the coastlines as officials monitor Anak Krakatau’s eruptions. Agency head Dwikorita Karnawati said officials expect high waves and heavy rain Wednesday. “All these could potentially cause landslides at the cliffs of the crater into the sea, and we fear that could trigger a tsunami,” she said.