Abrar Hussain
The death toll from an earthquake and tsunami on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi skyrocketed to 832 yesterday, according to the national disaster mitigation agency, adding that the affected area to be assessed is greater than
initially estimated.
Many people were also reported trapped in the rubble of buildings toppled by the 7.5 magnitude earthquake which struck on Friday and triggered towering tsunami waves as high as six meters (20 feet), agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told a news conference.
There are concerns as residents of the island still struggle to find vital aid like food and water. Nevertheless, aid reportedly continues to enter into the coastal city of Palu, while the Indonesian military has been deployed.
Meanwhile, hundreds of desperate people in Palu looted supermarkets and petrol stations yesterday as even the initial trickle of aid into the devastated areas failed to relieve acute shortages of water, food and fuel.
Hordes of residents on Sulawesi island were seen scrambling over broken glass and through broken-down barricades at a supermarket in the centre of Palu. Men and women made off with plastic bin bags and baskets full of biscuits, crisps, nappies, gas canisters, tissue paper and other supplies.
Indonesian vice president Jusuf Kalla has warned that based on previous disasters the toll could climb.
A disaster official said the tsunami travelled across the open sea at speeds of 800kph before striking the shore of the city of Palu and casualties could have been caused along a 300km stretch of coast, north and south of Palu.
Authorities are bracing for much worse as reports continue to filter in from outlying areas, especially Donggala, a region of 300,000 people north of Palu and closer to the epicentre of the quake.
-Source: France24, Reuters