Indonesia tsunami: death toll could be in the thousands

By MiNDFOOD

An aerial view shows bridge damaged by an earthquake and tsunami in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia September 29, 2018. Antara Foto/Muhammad Adimaja via REUTERS
An aerial view shows bridge damaged by an earthquake and tsunami in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia September 29, 2018. Antara Foto/Muhammad Adimaja via REUTERS

The Indonesia tsunami death toll is expected to rise – into the thousands – officials say, as aftershocks rattle the island of Sulawesi.

The death toll on the island of Sulawesi stands at 832 people, but officials said Sunday they expect that number to climb as rescuers sift through the destruction left by a powerful earthquake and tsunami.

Three days after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit the island and 3-meter-high waves crashed onto its northern shore, authorities continued combing through chunks of concrete and lumber searching for survivors.

Authorities are bracing for much worse as reports filter in from outlying areas, in particular, Donggala, a region of 300,000 people north of Palu and closer to the epicentre of the quake.

Speaking at a press conference, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the spokesman for the BNBP disaster agency, said the area affected was much bigger than originally thought. “The deaths are believed to be still increasing since many bodies were still under the wreckage while many have not able to be reached,” said Nugroho, emphasising that access to Donggala, as well as the towns of Sigi and Boutong, was very limited so the final death toll was impossible to predict.

An aerial view shows bridge damaged by an earthquake and tsunami in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia September 29, 2018. Antara Foto/Muhammad Adimaja via REUTERS

Survivors walked through floodwater and piles of debris. A shopping mall turned into rubble and the large dome of a mosque collapsed in Palu, home of 350,000 people. Homes and businesses along the coast, many of them tin-roof shanties, were washed away, as were vehicles. Damaged hospitals were forced to shut down.

Families carried the few belongings they could retrieve in plastic bags and backpacks to outdoor shelters where thousands hope to receive aid.
Hundreds were badly injured and at least 17,000 people were left homeless, Nugroho said.

Indonesia has been hit by a string of other deadly quakes including a devastating 9.1-magnitude tremor that struck off the coast of Sumatra in December 2004.

That Boxing Day quake triggered a tsunami that killed 220,000 throughout the region, including 168,000 in Indonesia.

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