Desperate Indonesians flee the earthquake zone, the scale of the disaster is unclear

PALU, Indonesia (Reuters) – Indonesia has rushed for help on the quake-hit island of Sulawesi.

The confirmed death toll of 844 was certain to increase as rescuers reached the devastated communities hit Friday by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake and successive waves of tsunami reaching six meters (20 feet).

Dozens of people were reportedly trapped in the rubble of several hotels and in a shopping center in the small town of Palu, 1,500 kilometers northeast of Jakarta. Hundreds of others feared being buried in landslides that engulfed villages.

Donggala, an area of ​​300,000 inhabitants north of Palu and near the epicenter of the earthquake, as well as two other districts where communications have been cut, are of particular concern.

The four districts have a total population of about 1.4 million.

A woman was found alive in ruins overnight in the Palu district of Balaroa, where about 1,700 homes were engulfed when the earthquake caused liquefaction of the soil, said the national relief agency.

"We do not know how many victims could be buried there, it is estimated to be hundreds," said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.

All confirmed deaths, except 23, occurred in Palu, a town of about 380,000, where workers were preparing a mass grave to bury the dead as soon as they were identified.

Nearly three days after the earthquake, the extent of the disaster was not known by the authorities who expected the toll to rise – perhaps by the thousands – as connections with the regions increased. are restored.

Humanitarian worker Lian Gogali, who arrived by motorcycle in Donggala District, said hundreds of people lacking food and medicine were trying to get out, but the evacuation teams had not arrived yet. blocked roads.

"It's devastating," she told Reuters by text message.

The spokeswoman of the Indonesian Red Cross, Aulia Arriani, said that a church in an area of ​​Sigi, south of Palu, had been engulfed in mud and debris. Officials said the region had suffered from liquefaction when the earthquake shock temporarily destabilized the soil.

"My volunteers found 34 bodies … children who had done a Bible camp," said Arriani.

Sulawesi is one of the five main islands of the archipelago and is straddling fault lines. Many aftershocks shook the region.

The images showed expanses of broken wood, washed cars and trees crushed together, with separate roofs and roads. Access to many areas is hampered by damaged roads, landslides and collapsed bridges.

CHAOS AIRPORT

A Reuters witness said that waiting lines at petrol stations outside Palu stretched for miles. Convoys carrying food, water and fuel waited for police escorts to stop the robberies before heading to the city while the residents pulled out.

The state energy company said it was carrying 4,000 liters of fuel, while the Indonesian logistics agency said it would send hundreds of tons of rice. The government has allocated Rs.560 billion ($ 37.58 million) for the recovery.

The government downplayed concerns about looting although witnesses witnessed incidents.

Chief of Security Wiranto said more than 2,800 soldiers had been deployed and plans were in place to send 2,000 more police officers.

The government would accept offers of assistance from 18 countries and it had also requisitioned 20 mine and plantation excavators to help with the scarcity of equipment needed to dig wrecks and clear blocked roads, he added.

Nearly 60,000 people were displaced, many were terrified by powerful aftershocks, and they needed tents, water and sanitation, while the public service was trying to restore electricity. he adds.

Commercial flights have not yet resumed, but military planes were taking people from Palu. About 3,000 people flocked to the small airport hoping to get out and the officers struggled to maintain order.

"I would take the plane anywhere. I have been waiting for two days. I did not eat, barely had a drink, "said Wiwid, a 44-year-old food vendor.

Indonesia is only too used to earthquakes and tsunamis. An earthquake in 2004 caused a tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed 226,000 people in 13 countries, including more than 120,000 in Indonesia.

Palu straddles the Palu-Koro fault, which stretches from north to south along Palu Bay. Geologists estimate that the fault segments have a slippage that is among the highest in Indonesia, at 4 cm (1.6 inches) per year, exposing the area to a higher risk of earthquake.

One will surely wonder why the warning systems put in place after the disaster of 2004 seem to have failed.

The spokesman for the Nugroho disaster agency told reporters Sunday that none of the Indonesian tsunami buoys, a device used to detect the waves, had been operating since 2012. He accused the lack of funds .

The BMKG meteorological and geophysical agency issued a tsunami warning after the earthquake, but raised it 34 minutes later, criticizing the fact that it was too fast.

However, officials felt that the waves had struck while the warning was in effect.

Chart: Map of Sulawesi – tmsnrt.rs/2OYa4YD