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JAKARTA : More than a thousand people have fled inland along Indonesia's coastline after tidal waves destroyed houses and fishing boats this week, officials said Saturday.
Residents have taken refuge in schools and other government buildings after high waves pounded coastlines from northern Sumatra island to the southern tourist resort island of Bali, officials said.
"The number of people that fled their houses has reached 1,246 people," Setio Sutarto from the National Disaster Management Agency told AFP.
He said West Java and West Sumatra were the regions worst hit by the tidal waves, which started hitting the coast late Thursday.
Eleven provinces have been affected, including Aceh, which was devastated by the 2004 Asian tsunami, the Kompas daily said.
Hundreds of homes have been badly damaged and others swept away in fishing villages dotting the coastlines, the newspaper said.
Television pictures showed wooden homes flattened and residents searching through water-soaked debris for their belongings.
Fishermen have been advised against going out to sea in affected areas, Kompas said.
On the resort island of Bali, tourists and vendors have been warned to keep off the main beach of Kuta after waves pounded the coastline, destroying stalls, officials said.
Surfers have also been told to keep out of the water in Bali, they said.
The popular restaurant strip on Bali's Jimbaran beach was shut down on Friday after waves pounded fishing huts and boats, the Jakarta Post said.
Metres-high waves, caused by monsoon winds on the Indian Ocean, are set to continue to smash the coastline for several more days, the national meteorology office told AFP.
"Our prediction shows that waves would be reduced tomorrow on Sumatra island but people along coastlines of West Java island must be careful of more possible high waves," said Sugarin from the office, in Jakarta.
A tsunami alert has not been issued for Indonesia, the nation worst hit by the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004.
No casualties have been reported.
- AFP/yy
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