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People shun Ancol for fear of tsunami
Ancol Beach, North Jakarta, was all but deserted on Wednesday.
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Ancol Beach is quieter than usual despite the holiday season as visitors refrain from going to beaches following the Sunda Strait tsunami that hit Banten, West Java, recently. (tribunnews.com/Reynas Abdila)
The holiday season usually sees Ancol Beach, North Jakarta, flooded with visitors.
However, the area was almost deserted on Wednesday, wartakota.tribunnews.com reported.
One visitor, Sudirman, said he was wary of going to the beach after the tsunami in the Sunda Strait, but he went there nevertheless.
"I'm worried, that's for sure, but what can I do? Perhaps as a precaution, kids should not be allowed to play too close from the shoreline. Just at the edge of the beach, that's enough," he said.
Another man, Awan, said he did not expect the area to be uncrowded as he knew children liked to go there at this time of the year.
"It's rare. It is unusual for it to be quiet like this. If you ask if I'm afraid, yes I am. We just need to keep our guard up, plus there are lifeguards here," Awan said.
Meanwhile, Ancol Taman Impian corporate communications officer Rika Lestari said the total number of visitors was only 233 people from Dec. 22 to 25.
"The decrease in visitors has been less than 10 percent, but hopefully we can reverse that because many of the shows and activities in Ancol are running well," Rika said.
Rika pointed out that the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) had announced that the coastline in Jakarta, such as Ancol Beach, would not be affected by the tsunami in the Sunda Strait. (mai)
