JAKARTA: Indonesia's tsunami buoy warning system has not been operational since 2012, said an official on Monday (Dec 24), two days after a tsunami struck coastal areas around the Sunda Strait between the islands of Sumatra and Java.

"Vandalism, lack of funds, technical faults have caused the current absence of the tsunami buoy system," said national disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho in a series of tweets.



There was no tsunami advance warning system on the night the tsunami struck, said Mr Nugroho.



He said the system had to be developed again to ensure that Indonesia had a tsunami early warning system which would be "triggered by undersea landslides and volcanic eruptions".

5) There was NO tsunami advance warning system on the night of 22/12/2018. The absence of this system had caused the failure to detect tsunami in advance. Signs on an impending tsunami were not monitored hence public had no time to evacuate https://t.co/dybtDfq66Q — Chandni Vatvani (@ChandniCNA) December 24, 2018



"The absence of this system caused the failure to detect the tsunami in advance," he added.



Mr Nugroho added that Indonesia does not yet have a tsunami advance warning system that can detect undersea landslide and undersea volcanic eruption.

He cited examples of previous earthquakes which caused undersea landslides and triggered a tsunami, including the recent Palu tsunami-quake.

This house, like many others in #Pandeglang regency, is located about 100 meters from the sea. There were no barriers to shield it from the powerful waves. pic.twitter.com/WL44934zLc — Chandni Vatvani (@ChandniCNA) December 24, 2018

Currently, the country only has an advance warning system that is triggered by earthquakes.

It was first established in 2008, a few years after a 9.3-magnitude earthquake below the seabed triggered a wave that struck Banda Aceh within 15 minutes. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami killed 168,000 people in Indonesia alone, and left nearly 250,000 dead around the region.

Mr Nugroho added: "127 volcanoes or 13 per cent of the world’s volcanoes are in Indonesia. A number of them are undersea and are small islands that when erupt can caused tsunami."



He said this would serve as a challenge for government agencies, as well as institutes of higher learning, to develop such systems.

The scene at Mutiara Hotel #Carita cottage in #Pandeglang - 1 of 3 tourist accommodations in the regency where most #tsunami victims were found pic.twitter.com/v6YVrnoFF7 — Chandni Vatvani (@ChandniCNA) December 24, 2018

Other natural disasters, including landslides, volcanic eruptions, forest fires, dry weather and tornadoes also needed advanced warning systems, added Mr Nugroho.

"These will relay information to the public before disaster strikes."

More than 200 people have died with hundreds more injured from the tsunami that struck the islands of Sumatra and Java on Saturday night, according to Indonesian authorities.



Experts warn that another tsunami could strike Indonesia as volcanic activity of Anak Krakatoa continues.



