THE DEADLY WAVE
On 22 December 2018, Indonesian band Seventeen played to fans in a marquee on the beach. Then, suddenly, came a deafening roar. A huge wave erupted behind them. It crashed into the band and the crowd, hurtling bodies, gear, tables and chairs in its wake.
The entire episode was captured on film. In the tsunami in Banten province more than 400 people died, including four members of Seventeen. Only lead singer Riefian Fajarsyah survived. Like everyone else on the beach that day, Seventeen had no warning that a tsunami was approaching.
More than 10 million people live within a mile of the coast in Southeast Asia - and Indonesia, in particular, is prone to tsunamis. The giant wall of churning water, which derives its name from the Japanese for “large harbour wave”, can travel as fast as a
