Dramatic Video Shows The Moment Tsunami Strikes During Pop Concert In Indonesia

A tsunami most likely birthed by underwater landslides from the Anak Krakatau volcano struck Indonesia without warning Saturday. The tsunami struck the Sunda Strait, tragically killing nearly 300 people, injuring 1,000 and leaving scores of people missing. Among them are members of the Indonesian boy band Seventeen, and CNN provided astonishing video footage of the moment the tsunami hit while the band performed during a pop concert.

The band was reportedly putting on a beach concert that was sponsored by state-managed electric company Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) on Tanjung Lesung beach. Crowds had gathered at the beach, per Channel News Asia, for an end-of-year celebration, and many of the fatalities and injuries happened there.

The video, which lasts over twenty seconds, shows the band performing in a tent to a seated audience. The revelers are seen enjoying the music throughout the footage, but towards the end of the video, giant waves come crashing through the tent.

As the video illustrates, no one seemingly even had time to panic while the churning seawater swept the members of the band and their musical instruments off a rapidly disintegrating stage. They and their audience are shown moments later being overwhelmed by the relentless torrent of water.

Lead singer, Riefian Fajarsyah, sadly told fans through a video that one member of the group and their manager were killed by the tsunami. Fajarsyah went on to say that three other members and his wife were among the missing. He added that Sunday would have been his wife’s birthday. The recording artist additionally urged fans to pray that his missing wife and band members be found safely.

The remaining members of Seventeen escaped the devastating tsunami and only suffered minor injuries.

Riefian Fajarsyah often posted idyllic photos of he and his wife traveling and enjoying each other’s company. The poignant snap the performer titled, “Hold my hand and together we will conquer the world!” illustrates how much affection he feels for her.

On Sunday, Fajarsyah took to Instagram and shared a pic of him and his wife taking a romantic River Seine cruise in Paris. The couple are shown kissing on the boat with the Eiffel Tower in the background. The singer captioned the photo to honor her birthday writing, “Today is your birthday, I am wishing that you come home my love.”

The volcano-triggered tsunami also destroyed buildings, swept away cars and uprooted vegetation, according to the BBC. Asep Perangkat, who witnessed the havoc, said containers and vehicles were dragged about 32 feet (10 meters).

Indonesia was rocked by other natural disaster recently, when on September 28, a massive 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Minahasa Peninsula. The shallow, but large, quake and its resulting tsunami caused widespread destruction, and the townspeople of Petobo and Baleroa witnessed “rivers of soil” sweep whole neighborhoods away in its wake.

The deaths and devastation of the tsunamis this year are reminiscent of the larger Indian Ocean tsunami that was spawned by an earthquake and killed an estimated 226,000 people. Of those fatalities, 120,000 were in Indonesia, and the remaining numbers were split in 13 other countries.