Indonesia: aid for tsunami caused by the eruption of the volcano Anak Krakatoa

Pope Francis, through the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, has sent an initial economic contribution to assist the people of Indonesia, struck by a violent tsunami on 22 December 2018, following the eruption of the Anak Krakatoa volcano (Sunda Strait). 

This gesture is an immediate expression of the spiritual closeness and paternal encouragement felt by the Pope, and is a part of the aid initiatives activated throughout the charitable network of the Catholic Church.

An underwater landslide probably caused the tsunami, which affected several areas on the islands of Java and Sumatra, in particular. 33,000 people were forced to abandon their homes, 437 died, and over 1,500 people were injured. In addition to the extensive material damage, 130 people are still missing, and 33,000 have been left homeless.

Indonesia is one of the countries most affected by natural disasters, and lives in a constant state of emergency. It is located in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of ​​active volcanoes, where most of the eruptions and earthquakes in the world occur. The most recent examples are the earthquakes that struck Lombok and the island of Sulawesi, and that killed thousands of people between July and September 2018. We still remember the terrible tsunami that devastated the west coast of Indonesia in December 2004. It caused one of the biggest natural disasters in recent history, leaving about 168,000 people dead, tens of thousands missing, and over three million people homeless.