Huge waves continue to pound Indonesian coasts

May 20, 2007, 9:15 GMT

Jakarta - After destroying hundreds of houses across the coastal lines of Java, Bali and western Sumatra, tidal waves struck the coasts of eastern Indonesian islands of Lombok and Flores, forced to more than 1,000 people to flee their homes and keeping fishermen onshore, local media reports said Sunday.

While residents across the southern coast of Java and Bali, and the western coast of Sumatra, were cleaning out debris from their homes which were damaged by the tidal waves two days earlier, the huge waves heavily damaged or destroyed more than 150 homes along coastlines on Lombok and Flores islands.

At least 1,000 residents were forced to abandon their homes on the two islands, and the tidal waves also forced on fishermen to halt their activity, a leading Kompas daily reported.

Weather officials say the waves were a result of the accumulation of winds in one spot and are not linked with annual weather patterns. Forecasters warned that high waves may reoccur in the coming days.

Tidal waves have pounded coastlines in 11 provinces in Indonesia, from Aceh, on the northern end of Sumatra to the southern tourist resort island of Bali since Thursday, with the southern coast of Java the worst hit, where more than 200 houses and dozens of fishing boats were destroyed.

There were no reports of casualties, but the tidal waves forced thousands of residents to flee to higher ground. On the western coast of Aceh, at least 4,00 residents had to abandon their homes after sea-water flooding Thursday.