Tsunami Indonesia

PADANG, Indonesia—The death toll from a tsunami that smashed into a remote Indonesian island chain after a powerful earthquake has reached 112, with more than 500 people still missing, an official said Wednesday.

The 7.7-magnitude quake struck in the Mentawai Islands area west of Sumatra late Monday, generating waves as high as three meters (10 feet) that swept away 10 villages.

"At least 112 people were killed and 502 people have gone missing," West Sumatra disaster management head Harmensyah said.

Officials said the waters swept as far as 600 metres inland on South Pagai island, the hardest hit.

A 7.6-magnitude earthquake in September last year in Padang killed about 1,100 people while the 2004 Asian tsunami—triggered by a 9.3-magnitude quake off Sumatra—killed at least 168,000 people in Indonesia alone.

Less than 24 hours after Monday's tsunami struck, Indonesia's most active volcano Mount Merapi erupted three times, causing thousands to flee in panic and claiming the lives of 13 people.