Rescuers hunt for survivors as Indonesian tsunami death toll tops 281

Indonesian rescuers battled heavy rains today in a desperate search for survivors after a volcano-triggered tsunami that killed at least 281 people and injured more than thousand.  The National Disaster Agency, fearing rise in casualty figures, said, more than 50 people were still missing. 

Dody Ruswandi, a senior official at the Agency said, the military and police are searching the ruins and it was likely to last a week.

Hundreds of buildings were destroyed by the wave, which hit the coast of southern Sumatra and the western tip of Java on Saturday after a volcano known as the “child” of the legendary Krakatoa, erupted.  

The vast archipelago nation is one of the most disaster-prone nations on Earth due to its position straddling the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic plates collide