Indonesian Tsunami -Earthquakes
First Published: Oct 02, 2018 12:21 IST
Satellite images show wiped out area in Indonesia’s Palu; toll now 1,234
Nearly 60,000 people have been displaced and are in need of emergency help, while thousands have been streaming out of stricken areas of disaster-hit Indonesia.
The extent of the devastation caused by an earthquake and tsunami on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi should become clearer on Tuesday as rescuers push into remote areas that have been out of contact for more than three days.
Officials fear the death toll will rise into the thousands but the number of confirmed deaths stood at 1,234 on Tuesday, most of them in the small city of Palu, 1,500 km (930 miles) northeast of Jakarta.
Some of the dead were taken to a mass grave on Tuesday while rescuers hunting for victims in the ruins held out hope they could still save lives.
“We suspect there are still some survivors trapped inside,” the head of on rescue team, Agus Haryono, told Reuters at the collapsed seven-story Hotel Roa Roa.
Elsewhere on the outskirts of Palu, lorries brought 35 bodies for burial in a mass grave dug in sandy soil.
Most of the bodies had not been claimed, a policemen helping with the burial said, but some relatives turned up to pay respects to loved ones at the 50 metre (165 feet) trench, where the smell of decomposition was overpowering.
“I have nothing now. My house is destroyed and I can’t even give him his own funeral,” said Rosmawati Binti Yahya, 52, whose husband was among those placed in the grave.
“It’s OK if he’s buried in the mass grave, it’s better to have him buried fast,” said Yahya, before heading off to look for her missing daughter.
As rescuers and aid workers fanned out into remote areas, the Red Cross said initial reports from the outskirts of Donggala district were chilling.
“The situation in the affected areas is nightmarish,” Jan Gelfand, head of an International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies office in Jakarta, said in a statement.
“The city of Palu has been devastated and first reports out of Donggala indicate that it has also been hit extremely hard.”
Commercial airlines have struggled to restore operations at Palu’s quake-damaged airport but military aircraft took some survivors out on Monday, while about 3,000 people thronged the airport hoping for any flight out.
A navy vessel capable of taking 1,000 people at a time was due to be deployed to help with the evacuation.
The power company was working to restore electricity while the state oil firm had sent in fuel, officials said.
Teams of police were out on the streets on Tuesday, clearing debris and providing some reassurance to traumatized residents worried about looting.
But anger has been simmering.
“Stop hiding Mr Mayor,” was daubed on a wall in one part of Palu. Mayor Hidayat was unavailable for comment.
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Satellite images show wiped out area in Indonesia’s Palu; toll now 1,234
Nearly 60,000 people have been displaced and are in need of emergency help, while thousands have been streaming out of stricken areas of disaster-hit Indonesia.
The extent of the devastation caused by an earthquake and tsunami on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi should become clearer on Tuesday as rescuers push into remote areas that have been out of contact for more than three days.
Officials fear the death toll will rise into the thousands but the number of confirmed deaths stood at 1,234 on Tuesday, most of them in the small city of Palu, 1,500 km (930 miles) northeast of Jakarta.
Some of the dead were taken to a mass grave on Tuesday while rescuers hunting for victims in the ruins held out hope they could still save lives.
“We suspect there are still some survivors trapped inside,” the head of on rescue team, Agus Haryono, told Reuters at the collapsed seven-story Hotel Roa Roa.
Elsewhere on the outskirts of Palu, lorries brought 35 bodies for burial in a mass grave dug in sandy soil.
“I have nothing now. My house is destroyed and I can’t even give him his own funeral,” said Rosmawati Binti Yahya, 52, whose husband was among those placed in the grave.
“It’s OK if he’s buried in the mass grave, it’s better to have him buried fast,” said Yahya, before heading off to look for her missing daughter.
As rescuers and aid workers fanned out into remote areas, the Red Cross said initial reports from the outskirts of Donggala district were chilling.
“The situation in the affected areas is nightmarish,” Jan Gelfand, head of an International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies office in Jakarta, said in a statement.
“The city of Palu has been devastated and first reports out of Donggala indicate that it has also been hit extremely hard.”
Commercial airlines have struggled to restore operations at Palu’s quake-damaged airport but military aircraft took some survivors out on Monday, while about 3,000 people thronged the airport hoping for any flight out.
A navy vessel capable of taking 1,000 people at a time was due to be deployed to help with the evacuation.
The power company was working to restore electricity while the state oil firm had sent in fuel, officials said.
Teams of police were out on the streets on Tuesday, clearing debris and providing some reassurance to traumatized residents worried about looting.
But anger has been simmering.
“Stop hiding Mr Mayor,” was daubed on a wall in one part of Palu. Mayor Hidayat was unavailable for comment.
Buy hoodies, PJ's, t-shirts, underear. You can also buy in bulk from my shop and send them to those who could use them. Change the picture or, use no picture.
Click here for all of your Survival non-Gmo Food and Gear!>
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