[WATCH] Indonesia tsunami kills over 220 people following volcanic eruption

Must have been a nice hotel once #tsunami pic.twitter.com/999aOPihJh

— David Lipson (@davidlipson) December 23, 2018

222 people are dead, over 840 are injured and many are missing after the tsunami that crashed into the popular tourist area on the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra in Indonesia on Saturday evening.

The area hosts a number of heavily-populated villages and popular hotels.

This is the second devastating tsunami to hit Indonesia in the last four months. The previous earthquake-triggered tsunami that took place at the end of September killed more than 400 people.

Pantauan udara daerah terdampak tsunami di Pantai Kalianda Kabupaten Lampung Selatan. Korban dampak tsunami di Lampung Selatan per 23/12/2018 pukul 13.00 WIB: 35 orang meninggal duniq, 115 orang luka dan 110 unit rumah rusak. Pendataan masih dilakukan. pic.twitter.com/HcXVkEhqBx

— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) December 23, 2018

READ ALSO: Earthquake-triggered Tsunami kills scores of people in Indonesia

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesperson for the Indonesian disaster agency, has posted aerial footage of the affected area in Kalianda Beach, south Lampung, where so far 35 bodies have been recovered and a reported 115 people were injured.

The Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, has tweeted his “deep grief for the fallen tsunami victims in Pandeglang, Serang and South Lampung”.

“I have ordered all relevant government officials to immediately take emergency response steps, look for and find victims, and care for the injured,” he said.

Scientists say the tsunami was probably caused by the eruption of Anak Krakatau, a volcanic island formed over the years from the nearby Krakatau volcano. They also cited tidal waves caused by the full moon.

Three tourists died at this beachfront hotel. #tsunami pic.twitter.com/I0zzBoxfTG

— David Lipson (@davidlipson) December 23, 2018

The worst affected area was the Pandeglang region of Banten province in Java, which encompasses the Ujung Kulon National Park and popular beaches south-west of the capital, Jakarta.

David Rothery, professor of Planetary Geosciences at the Open University, said, "Anak Krakatau, the volcano on the site of Krakatau (Krakatoa) that was destroyed by the devastating eruption of 1883, has not suddenly come to life as some reports have implied. It has been erupting continually throughout much of this year, as part of the process of volcanic regrowth."

In 1883, over 30,000 of the deaths were caused by the tsunami resulting from the explosive destruction of the former volcano. Last night’s tsunami appears to have been caused by an underwater collapse of part of the new island that has been forming as the volcano grows.

The authorities expect the death toll to rise as emergency services try to hunt down the missing hundreds.