At least 220 people have been killed and 800 injured after a tsunami struck beaches in Indonesia overnight.
A further 30 people are still missing after a volcanic eruption caused a deadly wave to crash over a pop concert where band Seventeen were playing on Saturday evening, sending people fleeing for their lives. Two members of the band have been confirmed dead, along with the road manager and a crew member while the drummer is missing.
The 20 foot high wave hit beaches around the Sunda Strait, between the islands of Java and Sumatra at about 9.30pm local time, destroying 430 houses, nine hotels and 10 ships.
Scientists say the tsunami was probably caused by the eruption of Anak Krakatau, a volcanic island formed over years from the nearby Krakatau volcano. The Meteorology and Geophysics agency also said tidal waves may have been strengthened by the full moon.
Undersea landslides from the eruption of Anak Krakatau - an island formed from previous blasts from Krakatoa - were recorded 24 minutes before the tsunami struck.
Eyewitnesses have described fleeing for their lives as beachfront hotels and homes were swept away in the province of Banten in the Strait, when the wall of water hit.
Terrifying footage from Tanjung Lesung Beach Resort showed dozens of locals enjoying a set by band Seventeen late on Saturday until suddenly, the stage collapses.
Some 200 employees of state electricity utility Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) and family members had gathered for their end-of-year party when the tsunami struck on Saturday night.
People were heard screaming as they fled the oncoming wave, which swallowed the band on stage in a split second.
'Underwater I could only pray 'Jesus Christ help,' Zack, a crew member of the rock band Seventeen, said in an Instagram post.
'In the final seconds I almost ran out of breath,' he said, adding he survived by clinging to part of the collapsed stage.
Among the dead were Seventeen's bassist M. Awal 'Bani' Purbani, road manager Oki Wijaya, guitarist Herman Sikumbang and crew member Ujang, the lead singer Riefian 'Ifan' Fajarsyah said.
The band's drummer is still missing.
Survivors are currently unable to reach Jakarta, the country's capital, for treatment because the route is blocked.
Members of the band have now been reported missing by their lead singer Riefian Fajarsyah who posted on Instagram asking for prayers.
'We lost our bassist, Bani and our manager Oki,' he said tearfully in a video.
Asep Perangkat, who fled Carita beach Saturday night, said he was with his family when the wave surged through the town, carving a path of destruction.
The tsunami comes 14 years after one of the deadliest natural disasters in recent times – the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004.
About 230,000 people were killed and 1.7m people left homeless, while up to 70 per cent of some villages were wiped out.
The latest disaster comes less than three months after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit the city of Palu on the island of Sulawesi, which is just east of Borneo, causing widespread damage and killing 2,256 people.
More than 70,000 homes were said to have been damaged, while communications, water and electricity infrastructure was also severely impaired.
A volcanic eruption in Krakatoa in 1883 was one of the deadliest in recorded history at the time, killing more than 36,000 people.
'Cars were dragged about 10 metres and so were containers,' Perangkat told AFP.
'Buildings on the edge of the beach were destroyed, trees and electric poles fell to the ground.
'All the residents that are safe ran to the forest,' he said.
In Lampung province, on the other side of the strait, Lutfi Al Rasyid said he fled the beach in Kalianda city in fear for his life.
'I could not start my motorbike so I left it and I ran... I just prayed and ran as far as I could,' the 23-year-old told AFP.
The country's Disaster Mitigation Agency confirmed more than 800 have been injured while rescue missions to recover the dead began.
The most deaths were recorded in Pandeglang district with 164 dead, while Serang district recorded 11 dead and 48 were killed in South Lampung. One person died in Tanggamus.
A tsunami alert has been issued and people in low-lying areas have fled to higher ground while search and rescue operations look for survivors. Authorities have warned people to stay away from beaches while a high-tide warning remained in place through to till December 25.
It is believed the tsunami was caused by an undersea landslide following the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano. The wave hit beaches on the Sunda Strait - between the islands of Java and Sumatra.
Indonesian officials said recently Krakatoa has been spewing volcanic ash into the air.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology has been monitoring the situation and has issued a red warning to airline pilots operating in the region that an ash cloud is spreading south west from the volcano to an altitude of 55,000 feet.
Tourists have described the moment they realised the natural disaster had hit.
Norwegian tourist Oystein Lund Andersen told the BBC: 'I was on the beach. I was alone, my family were sleeping in a room.
'I was trying to photograph the erupting Krakatoa volcano.
'Earlier in the evening, there was quite heavy eruption activity.
'But just prior to the waves hitting the beach, there was no activity at all. It was just dark out there.
'And suddenly I saw this wave coming, and I had to run.
'There were two waves. The first wave wasn't that strong - I could run from it.
'I ran straight to the hotel, where my wife and my son were sleeping.
'And I woke them up... and I heard a bigger wave coming. I looked out of the window when the second wave hit. It was much bigger.
'The wave passed the hotel. Cars were pushed off the road.
'We and other people at the hotel went straight to the forest (on higher ground) next to the hotel.
'And we're still up on the hill now.'
A video circulating on Twitter shows a two-foot high wave washing ashore. Later photographs show cars overturned and buildings destroyed.
However, local media said Indonesian authorities warned coastal areas could be hit by 7-foot high waves.
The number of victims is likely to increase because not all affected areas have been assessed, said disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
