Indonesia: at least 531 people killed during tsunami

Indonesia: at least 531 people killed during tsunami

Some tsunami survivors scoured the Pangandaran beach for nails, wood, tin - anything they could use to start rebuilding their lives.

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake triggered Monday's tsunami, which smashed into a 180-kilometer stretch of Java island's southern coast, destroying scores of houses, restaurants and hotels. Cars, motorbikes and boats were left mangled amid fishing nets, furniture and other debris.

Police and army teams with dogs and mechanical equipment continued to hunt for bodies in the ruins, while others took their search to the sea, going island to island in search of people listed among the missing, according to the AP.

The death toll stood at 531, said Maman Susanto of the government's disaster coordinating board.