Java
An earthquake in the Indian Ocean this week launched a wall of water 6 feet high that crashed into the Indonesian coast. The tsunami wiped out coastal villages on Java, killing more than 300 people. Rescue workers found bodies lodged in treetops. Some 50,000 people were left homeless, and the government has appealed for international help. “I saw enormous waves engulf our beach and sweep away cars and boats,” said eyewitness Elan Jayalani. “All the villagers have fled to the jungle in the mountains. We’re living in caves.” Indonesia is particularly prone to earthquakes and tsunamis because it sits on a seismically active region of the Pacific known as the Ring of Fire. More than half of the 130,000 victims of the massive tsunami two years ago were Indonesians.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The ‘ravenous’ demand for Cornish mineralsUnder the Radar Growing need for critical minerals to power tech has intensified ‘appetite’ for lithium, which could be a ‘huge boon’ for local economy
-
Why are election experts taking Trump’s midterm threats seriously?IN THE SPOTLIGHT As the president muses about polling place deployments and a centralized electoral system aimed at one-party control, lawmakers are taking this administration at its word
-
‘Restaurateurs have become millionaires’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
