The lead vocalist of Jakarta pop group Seventeen, who were performing in western Java when a tsunami struck, has shared a heartbreaking plea for the recovery of his missing bandmates and his wife.
Riefian 'Ifan' Fajarsyah posted a tearful video to Instagram saying bass player M. Awal 'Bani' Purbani and road manager Oki Wijaya were dead after the wave hit the resort at Tanjung Lesung beach on Sunday morning (NZ time).
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"We lost our bassist Bani and our road manager Oki. Andi [drummer] and Herman [guitar] and Ujang [crew] have not been found." Fajarsyah said.
"The rest are thankfully safe although suffering from injuries and broken bones.
"Please pray so my wife Dylan, Andi and Herman and Ujang can be found soon."
A further update to Seventeen's social media indicated guitarist Herman Sikumbang and crew member Ujang did not survive. The band's drummer and his wife are still missing.
In subsequent posts Ifan shared his heartbreak for Herman with a photo of the band and asked his 300,000 followers to send prayers for the deceased.
On Sunday night he shared a photo of him with his wife in Paris. He told fans it was her birthday, adding: "Hurry home dear".
Footage of the band performing as the giant wave struck was captured on camera by a concert-goer and has been shared widely as the extent of the horror comes to light.
The stage was overwhelmed by a water wave as people screamed and ran.
The timing of the tsunami over the Christmas holiday season has evoked memories of the Indian Ocean tsunami triggered by an earthquake on December 26 in 2004, which killed 226,000 people in 14 countries.
The death toll is expected to grow as missing peoples' reports are still being filed. It is estimated so far that more than 800 people have been injured.
It is believed that underwater landslides triggered by the volcanic eruption of Anak Krakatau could have caused the tsunami, which has claimed the lives of at least 220.
Anak Krakatau is an island that emerged from the area once occupied by Krakatau or Krakatoa, which was destroyed in 1883. It first appeared in 1927 and has been growing since.
