Toll Rises In Indonesia Quake; Tidal Waves Wash Away Homes So Far, 53 Dead, 19 Missing As Rescuers Continue Search

Police and rescue workers scrambled Sunday to count and locate victims after a powerful earthquake struck eastern Indonesia, destroying buildings and whipping up tidal waves that swept hundreds of homes out to sea.

By Sunday, 53 people had been confirmed dead, but authorities were expecting the death toll to rise.

Frightened by strong aftershocks, thousands of Indonesians slept outdoors on New Guinea and other islands in the Indonesian archipelago.

Poor communications across the region made it difficult for authorities to determine how many people had been killed or injured in Saturday’s quake, said Harto, a spokesman for the meteorology department in Jayapura, capital of Indonesia’s Irian Jaya province.

At least 19 people were missing after 21-foot tidal waves washed over the coast of New Guinea and several surrounding islands Saturday, said R. Yap, a local government official.

Waves slamming into Biak island, off New Guinea’s northern coast, washed 600 homes out to sea and destroyed several bridges, Yap said.

“There were many houses built on stilts on the coastal area, and we think there are casualties,” said Bambang, a spokesman for the government meteorology agency, who like many other Indonesians uses only one name.

The government was sending rescue teams, marines and other military personnel to the area, said a soldier contacted by telephone at the military command in Jayapura.

Several mosques, shopping centers and government buildings were flattened, police said.

Many of the 84,000 residents of Biak slept outdoors for fear of more earthquakes, said Joko, a telecommunications official in Jayapura.

Biak police Sgt. Sodi Irwanto said some victims were crushed inside collapsing buildings.

Irwanto said the situation on Biak is chaotic and residents were panicky from the aftershocks.

“How can we save these poor people when we have limited means to do so? We can’t even get to Biak Island because the airport is closed, while other means may take too long,” he said.

Biak has an international airport where flights by the state-owned Garuda airline stop before continuing to Los Angeles.

It was not known whether any foreigners were among the victims.