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Merapi volcano spews smoke, taken from Umbul Harjo village in Sleman, Yogyakarta on early October 26, 2010. Indonesia ordered thousands of people to evacuate from around Mount Merapi on October 25 as it raised the alert for its most active volcano to red, warning of a possible imminent eruption. – AFP Photo
JAKARTA: Ten villages on a remote island chain in Indonesia have been swept away by a tsunami triggered by a powerful undersea earthquake, a disaster official said Tuesday.
At least 23 people have been killed and scores more remain missing after the 7.7 magnitude quake struck late Monday, setting off waves as high as three metres (10 feet) in the Mentawai islands west of the island of Sumatra.
“Ten villages have been swept away by the tsunami,” National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Agolo Suparto told AFP.
