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Twitter / AirNav
Mr. Agung is dead before he can be transferred to a specialized hospital
An Indonesian air traffic controller has been hailed as a hero after he lost his life, while ensuring a passenger plane to escape a deadly earthquake.
Anthonius Gunawan Agung, 21, was at the control tower at Palu Airport in central Sulawesi when the magnitude 7.5 earthquake hit Friday.
He waited for the plane to be in the air before jumping off the crumbling control tower.
He died before being transferred to a specialized hospital.
"Agung is dedicated to his work until the end of his life and did not leave the control tower before takeoff from the plane," said Didiet KS Radityo, Secretary General of Air Navigation Indonesia, Jakarta Post.
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Reuters
Workers save a person trapped in the rubble
At least 832 people died in the subsequent earthquake and tsunami, but this number is expected to increase sharply as remote areas are reached. In the city of Palu, dozens of them are also trapped alive under the rubble of buildings.
Most of the confirmed deaths occurred in Palu, where rescuers are waiting for heavy machinery to search the ruins of a hotel and shopping center.
Authorities say they will bury the victims in mass graves.
On Friday, at Palu airport, Agung agreed to a Batik Air plane to take off when jolts began to strike.
His colleagues who did not handle the aircraft evacuated the control tower, but Mr. Agung remained at his post until the plane departed safely.
It was then that the biggest shock hit and the roof of the four-story tower collapsed. Mr. Agung jumped from a window breaking his legs, arms and ribs.
He was taken to hospital but died before a helicopter that would have brought him to a specialized clinic arrived.
Sirair Yohannes, spokeswoman for Air Navigation Indonesia, told reporters that ABC's decision Mr. Agung had potentially saved hundreds of other people.
His rank was promoted posthumously by two levels "as a form of appreciation for his outstanding dedication to the deceased," said the organization.
The organization also showed soldiers carrying his body while he was being transported to be buried.
The account of his sacrifice spread quickly on the Internet, where he was hailed as a hero.
The earthquake occurred Friday off the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
Many people were on the beach in Palu, preparing for a festival and were surprised by the tsunami.
Vice President Jusuf Kalla said the final balance sheet would be several thousand, while the Red Cross estimates that more than 1.6 million people have been affected.
