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Dangdut singer among victims of Sunda Strait tsunami
Dangdut singer Erna is among those who died in Saturday's tsunami. Her band was performing before an audience at the Tanjung Lesung beach when the disaster happened.
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Residents evacuate from damaged homes on Carita beach on Sunday, after the area was hit by a tsunami the night before that may have been caused by a volcano eruption. (AFP/Semi)
T
he tsunami that struck Tanjung Lesung in Pandeglang regency, Banten, on Saturday night has claimed the lives of at least 168 people and injured hundreds more.
A dangdut singer, Erna, is among those who died. Her band was performing before an audience at the Tanjung Lesung beach when the disaster happened.
Arif, an officer from the Panimbang Police, confirmed Erna’s death, tempo.co reported. “The singer’s name is Erna, a Jakarta resident,” Arif said, adding that the singer’s body had been brought to the Berkah Pandeglang hospital.
Read also: Houses, hotels destroyed: Sunda Strait tsunami death toll reaches 43
Several other members of Erna’s band are still missing. Lukman, a sound operator at the show, said three of his friends – Ridwan, Rizal and Maryadi – were also missing following the incident.
Banten Governor Wahidin Halim, who was scheduled to visit the Tanjung Lesung disaster location, had to call off the plan as the area is still closed down. “We haven’t started the evacuation because of bad weather and rain,” he said.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a statement that help was underway: “Heavy equipment has been deployed to help with the evacuation and emergency repairs.”
The agency has warned residents to steer clear of the beach for the time being, "Residents are urged not to conduct any activities on the beach at this time. The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency and the Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center are still conducting studies to ascertain the cause of the tsunami and the probability of additional ones." (asw)
