October 1, 2018

The number of people who’ve died in Indonesia due to recent earthquakes and a subsequent tsunami has exceeded 1,200 people, media reported.

On Friday, a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit off the Indonesian island of Sulawesi and was followed by two 5.8-magnitude tremors. A 6.5-feet tsunami struck the city of Palu and the Donggala area of Central Sulawesi Province shortly afterward. In some places, the water rose as high as six meters (20 feet).

Palu, home to more than 380,000 people, was strewn with debris from collapsed buildings. A mosque heavily damaged by the quake was half submerged and a shopping mall was reduced to a crumpled hulk, while a large bridge with yellow arches had collapsed.

The city is built around a narrow bay that apparently magnified the force of the tsunami waters as they raced into the tight inlet.

Indonesian TV showed dramatic footage of a powerful wave hitting Palu, with people screaming and running in fear. The water smashed into buildings and the damaged mosque.

Hundreds of people were injured and hospitals, damaged by the quake, have been overwhelmed by the casualties. Officials hope satellites crossing over Indonesia can capture images and provide rescuers with information so they know where to send humanitarian aid.

The newspaper Straits Times reported, citing the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) that about 16,700 people have been displaced as a result of the disaster, while about 2.4 million people in Palu and Donggala will need humanitarian aid.

"Fuel, drinking water, medical personnel, tents, electricity, food and other essentials are urgently needed," BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said on Sunday as quoted by the media outlet.

South Korean authorities have pledged to allocate humanitarian assistance worth $1 million to Indonesia to support the country after the disaster. The European Commission has also released an initial $1.7 million in emergency humanitarian assistance to the beleagured nation.

https://sputniknews.com/asia/201810011068476652-indonesia-earthquake-death-toll/

https://www.itv.com/news/2018-09-29/dozens-killed-after-earthquake-and-tsunami-in-indonesia/

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