Sixty six years ago, on Sunday afternoon, 8 October 1950 three villages in the island of Ambon: Hutumuri, Hative Kecil and Galala, were hit by tsunami. Information of this event is very limited. No scientific and government report could be found, only a few news reports. To complete the information of what happened, 28 eyewitnesses told their story of what they experienced on the day the tsunami strikes.

Information on this website is to add to the historical tsunami record especially in the city of Ambon. This information is to increase awareness and encourage the people in Ambon to build their preparedness in the case of similar event happened again in the future.

“The water came into the house, I felt like I was swimming inside the house. The water was very strong, at that time the height of the water was until my waist, I was small at that time. As the water receded it took everything, I held on to a chair, if not, I will not have survived.”

Enggelina Pieter - 71 years old, Hutumuri Village

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Galala and Hative Kecil Village

Hutumuri Village

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For higher resolution of the booklet (25,6 MB) please download using this link.