The French no longer see any signs of life in the rubble of a hotel in Indonesia

PALU, Indonesia – French rescuers did not find Friday the sign of life that they had detected a day earlier under the rubble of a hotel, a week after the destructive earthquake and tsunami that hit the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia, killing more than 1,550 people and burying hundreds in the mud. debris.

The five-member international firefighting team said on Thursday night that its sensor "has detected the presence of a victim" under heavy concrete in the wreck of the Mercure hotel in Palu . The device can identify breathing and heartbeats, but gas leaks and other factors can lead to false positive results.

The team stopped digging overnight. But after an hour of research Friday morning, Philip Besson, a member of the team, said he could not find the signal.

"We are especially perplexed and frustrated. We firmly believed it yesterday. Now we have nothing left … we have tried everything and have no answer, "he said.

Local rescuers continued digging at the collapsed hotel. French rescuers said on their Facebook page that 40 people, including six workers, had disappeared from the hotel.

The assessment of the magnitude 7.5 earthquake that caused a tsunami on Friday was increased to 1,558 people, with even more being buried in deep mud and under the wreckage of collapsed buildings and houses.

The disaster protection agency said that the body of a South Korean man was among the eight dead found Thursday in the wreckage of another hotel in Palu, Roa Roa, which collapsed laterally in a pile of cement and steel. Local television said the man, the only alien to have perished in the disaster, was a paraglider attending an event in the area.

Thousands of people were injured and more than 70,000 were evacuated to shelters and makeshift tents that pushed through Palu, the capital of Sulawesi Province, home to most of the victims, and its surroundings. After days of initial chaos and looting perpetrated by desperate survivors, the situation has returned to Palu with some shops reopened and electricity restored in parts of the city.

The Minister of Transport, Budi Karya Sumadi, said that five ships carrying more than 100,000 tons of essential supplies arrived at the port of Palu Thursday and two other ships Friday. He added that the Palu airport will soon be operational for passenger planes.

Australian, Indian, Singaporean, Malaysian and other military transport planes landed with relief supplies. Officials said the immediate needs were tents or shelter kits, water treatment, power generators and medical supplies.

According to officials, more and more volunteers will be deployed in remote areas of the affected areas to distribute aid to survivors.

"The earthquake and tsunami cut many transportation routes in this remote area. We sent three teams, on different routes, with as many supplies as possible to reach people as quickly as possible, but the trip took days. We are relieved that these vital supplies have arrived by plane and are beginning to pass, "Save the Children's Zubedy Koteng said in a statement.

Save the Children has announced that it has sent more than 1,000 kits to help build shelters, hygiene, child-friendly spaces and temporary educational facilities.

"Children urgently need shelter and essential hygiene items to prevent the spread of disease and contamination, as families are crowded into evacuation centers with a limited supply of clean water, "said Koteng.

Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who arrived Friday morning in Palu to assess the situation, said it would take at least two years to redevelop and rebuild the disaster area.

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