 Photos and DNA tests as Indonesians search for lost relatives Carita, Indonesia (AFP) Dec 26, 2018 - Grief-stricken Indonesians queued with photos or waited on DNA tests Wednesday, to find out if their missing loved ones were among bodies being held in a hospital morgue after a devastating tsunami tore families apart. "I'm scared," said Tubagus Cecep, 63, as he waited nervously at a hospital in devastated Carita for test results on a body he fears could be that of his son. "But if I keep my faith in God maybe he could have been swept away somewhere and is still alive." His son, a university student due to graduate in five months, hasn't been seen since since the day of the disaster, when he was on a day trip to an island off the coast of Java. Four of his friends are also missing. "They found a body, a pile of bags and my son's shoes," the father of 10 told AFP. "I'm still waiting for the body to be identified. We don't know yet if it was him." Others queued up showing photos of their loved ones on mobile phones, with officials carrying out the grisly task of checking them against bodies in the morgue. "We've been asking them about when was the last time they saw their relative, what they were wearing, if they have any identifying marks on their body," said Nariyana, head of the local police forensics and medical services unit, who goes by one name. The task has been made more difficult by multiple relatives making duplicate reports of missing loved ones, Nariyana said. Also waiting was Nur Masa, who was at a Java beach with his older brother on Saturday evening when the powerful waves struck. His brother -- who was fixing a fishing net into the sea when the wave crashed in -- has not been seen since. "I still hope he can be found," the 33-year-old Masa quietly told AFP "But it's been four days and four nights and he still hasn't been located." An eruption at the Anak Krakatoa volcano, which sits in the middle of the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra islands, caused a section of the crater to collapse and slide into the ocean, triggering the killer tsunami, officials have said. The disaster agency slightly raised the death toll Wednesday to 430, with 1,495 people injured and another 159 missing.
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Thousands prayed at mass graves Wednesday to mark the 14th anniversary of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, one of the worst natural disasters in history, even as aid workers raced to help victims of the latest killer wave to hit Indonesia.
The annual memorial came after the long-buried remains of dozens of Boxing Day tsunami victims were found last week in Aceh province, which was devastated by the 9.1-magnitude "megathrust" earthquake.
Nearly 170,000 people died in disaster-prone Indonesia when the quake struck Aceh, a predominantly Muslim province in the northern tip of Sumatra island, sparking massive waves that also slammed into coastal areas as far away as Somalia.
The disaster killed about 50,000 people in other countries around the Indian Ocean, bringing total deaths to about 220,000.
The commemorations are this year particularly poignant after a volcano-triggered tsunami struck another part of the country without warning on Saturday, sweeping over popular beaches and inundating tourist hotels and coastal communities, killing over 400.
Thousands paid tribute to the 2004 tsunami victims at a mass grave in Aceh Besar regency where nearly 47,000 are buried under a grassy field dotted with black rocks meant to symbolise a tomb.
"None of my family members have been found, but I believe they're buried here," said mourner Dewina, who carried flowers and incense sticks to burn.
Kharuddin, who goes by one name like many Indonesians, said he also thinks his lost relatives are buried at the vast site.
"I lost my mother and three siblings. I survived after floating out to sea and was rescued by a fishing boat," he told AFP.
"Fourteen years have gone by and life goes on. All we can do is pray."
Last week, the remains of more than 30 victims of the 2004 tsunami were found by villagers near a construction site of a newly built housing complex in Aceh. Another dozen bodies were later discovered at the same site.
The first victim identified was Taufik Alamsyah's wife, who still had her driver's licence in a wallet stuffed into her pants pocket.
"I could not believe that I found my wife after all these years of searching and praying," he told AFP in a recent interview.
"I've been waiting and wanting to see (her body) with my own eyes."
The 50-year-old civil servant has now buried wife Yunida's remains in the backyard of his new house, where he lives with his current wife.
Alamsyah also lost his five-year-old daughter and in-laws in the 2004 disaster, and has suffered from depression ever since.
The distraught father, who comes back to his old house every year to pray, grabbed his daughter in the chaos, but the force of the water swept her away.
He had taught his daughter to memorise the family's address so she could return home if she ever got lost.
"If she was alive, she'd probably be in college now," he said.
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Hunt for survivors as Indonesian tsunami death toll tops 280
Carita, Indonesia (AFP) Dec 24, 2018
Indonesian rescuers raced to find survivors Monday after a volcano-triggered tsunami killed at least 281 people, with experts warning the devastated region could be slammed by more deadly waves.
Rescue teams used their bare hands, diggers and other heavy equipment to haul debris from the stricken area around the Sunda Strait, as thousands were evacuated to higher ground.
The powerful tsunami struck without any warning on Saturday night, sweeping over popular beaches of southern Sumatra and the w ... read more
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