A tsunami triggered by a powerful undersea earthquake struck the southern coast of the Indonesian island of Java on 17 July 2006.
More than 500 people have died so far and the death toll from the 2m-high wave is expected to rise. Over 52,000 people have been displaced, some having fled their homes in terror fearing a repeat of the December 2004 disaster.
The tsunami smashed into a 300 km (185 mile) stretch of coast along southern Java, sweeping boats inland, destroying wooden buildings and littering the streets with debris. Survivors spoke of a wall of water and a loud roar.
Local hospitals have been overwhelmed by hundreds of injured and with people desperately searching for lost relatives.
Islamic Relief Response
Islamic Relief has despatched a four-member disaster response team from our base in Jakarta to carry out needs assessments in the affected area. We are consulting with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).
Java is still recovering from a magnitude 6.3 earthquake which struck Yogyakarta less than two months ago, leaving almost 6,000 people dead and destroying over 300,000 homes.