July 18, 1979 Eruption of Iliwerung
Iliwerung in Indonesia erupted on July 18, 1979. The eruption killed 1,239 people, counting its secondary effects. It caused a tsunami.
Where it erupted
Iliwerung, Indonesia, with its other significant eruptions.
The eruption
- Date
- July 18, 1979
- Volcano
- Iliwerung, complex volcano
- Country
- Indonesia
- Killed by
- Waves or tsunami
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Location
- 8.532° S, 123.573° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 1,239 with the tsunamis, mudflows and other effects it caused
- Injuries
- 32 with the tsunamis, mudflows and other effects it caused
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million) with the tsunamis, mudflows and other effects it caused
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000) with the tsunamis, mudflows and other effects it caused
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
No eruption. Massive landslide 7 km N of Ili Werung caused tsunami up to 9 m high, and devasted 4 villages. Death toll on Lomblen Island listed as 539 (175 bodies recovered and 364 missing). (reference #9675)
1979, July 18. A strong tsunami occurred in Indonesia. According to the preliminary data, a tsunami with a height of 7-9 m was observed on Lomblen island (8 S., Lat, 123.5 W. Long). In four villages 539 people lost their lives and 700 were declared missing. (reference #417)
Other significant eruptions of Iliwerung
More
Every eruption in 1979The 1900sIliwerungEarthquakes near IliwerungThis day in weather history
Sources
Volcanoes and significant eruptions from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 4603.