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Many bodies were found Saturday on the shores of the Indonesian city of Palu on the island of Sulawesi, affected by a major earthquake and tsunami, while the death toll rose to 48 people, announced the authorities.
Strong aftershocks continued to shake the coastal city on Saturday morning after waves as high as three meters high through the scenic tourist town, triggered by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake.
"Many bodies have been found along the shoreline because of the tsunami, but their numbers are still unknown," said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the Indonesian Disaster Prevention Agency, BNPB, when 39, a press briefing in Jakarta.
At least 48 people have been killed and the death toll is expected to increase, Nugroho said.
Images of amateurs broadcast by local television channels, which could not be immediately authenticated by Reuters, showed crushing waters in the houses along the Palu coastline, scattering transport containers and flooding a mosque in the city.
Nugroho described the damage as "extended" with thousands of homes, hospitals, shopping malls and hotels collapsing and a bridge was washed away.
Victims' bodies stuck between the rubble of ruined buildings were also found, he added, adding that more than 350 people were injured.
Television footage showed dozens of people injured in improvised medical tents installed outside.
The Meteorological and Geophysical Agency of Indonesia, BMKG, issued a tsunami warning after the earthquake, but lifted it 34 minutes later. The agency has been widely criticized for failing to report Saturday's tsunami in Palu, although authorities said the waves had arrived on time.
The earthquake and tsunami caused a major power outage that cut communications around Palu and on Saturday the authorities were still struggling to coordinate relief efforts.
BNPB could not get any information from the Donggala city, closer to the epicenter of the earthquake located 27 km away. More than 600,000 people live in Donggala and Palu.
Security chief Wiranto told TVOne that the army had started sending cargo planes from the capital, Jakarta, carrying relief supplies.
The city's airport remained closed after the runway and the air traffic control tower was damaged by the earthquake, but officials announced that they were preparing to reopen to allow Help to go home.
"We hope that the airport will soon be reopened for flights carrying relief and disaster relief," said Yohannes Sirait, of the AirNav Air Traffic Management Agency.
Road access to Palu from the east and south is disconnected, making rescue efforts difficult, the authorities said.
"There is no evacuation in the disaster area yet," Palu resident told Metro TV Tezar Kodongan.
The Palu region was hit Friday by a less powerful earthquake, which destroyed some houses, killed one and injured at least 10 people in the fishing village of Donggala, the closest to the epicenter, authorities said .
The US Geological Survey established the magnitude of the second earthquake at 7.5, after saying for the first time that it was 7.7.
Indonesia is sitting on the Pacific Ring of Fire and is regularly hit by earthquakes. In August, a series of major earthquakes killed more than 500 people on the tourist island of Lombok and destroyed dozens of villages along its northern coast.
Palu was hit by a tsunami in 1927 and 1968, according to BNPB.
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Last updated: Saturday, September 29, 2018 KSA 08:33 – GMT 05:33
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