The death toll is 1,200; Desperate survivors of help: NPR

Emergency teams are still trying to trace the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, killing at least 1,200 people, local media quoted government officials as saying.

The death toll could rise further, officials warn, as workers clear debris, rubble and vehicles washed away by a huge wave of seawater on Friday.

The tsunami was triggered by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake that struck the Donggala coastal district on Friday. Most of the deaths were found in Palu, a neighboring town of 300,000, where a spectator filmed the raging seawater just after 5 pm local time.

Relief and relief efforts were hampered by communication and transportation problems in the disaster area. The damage caused landslides and forced the closure of Palu International Airport for at least a full day.

Desperate for food and water, some locals took charge. According to the Jakarta Post, "many survivors have blocked trucks carrying help to loot the contents" in Palu and Donggala. The photos of the area also show people climbing a tanker truck, filling makeshift containers and passing them to a waiting crowd.

Other residents gathered at the port of Palu, hoping to recover supplies arriving by boat. A number of stores were looted, the To post added.

The videos posted on social media also captured the scene when the earthquake occurred, as people moved away from large cracks in the ground when buildings collapsed or simply slipped – their foundations were submerged by the liquefaction of the Earth.

President Joko Widodo went to Palu Sunday to inspect the extensive damage and comfort the survivors. He also acknowledged the problems of getting aid to the area and urged people to be patient.

Thousands of people started camping at the airport over the weekend, hoping to leave. But the airport has only operated at partial capacity since its reopening. And while they wait for their chance to fly away, people also endure a heat of over 90 degrees, with little to support them.

Burdened by the large number of bodies to be treated, local and military officials have organized the establishment of a mass burial site for the victims, according to the newspaper. Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the Indonesian Disaster Agency, who said officials feared a prolonged delay could create a new health crisis.

In addition to displacement and communication issues, relief agencies reported that their response to the latest crisis was somewhat limited by the fact that many staff members remained deployed in Lombok, an island hundreds of kilometers to the south. of Sulawesi, where a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck a month ago.

"Oxfam is tentatively considering an intervention to reach 100,000 people in Palu City and Donggala District," said Ancilla Bere, Oxfam's humanitarian officer in Indonesia. "This will probably address immediate needs such as ready – to – eat meals, water purification kits, and emergency shelters.

Bere added in a statement sent to NPR that "access remains a major concern with a key road cut by a landslide and other badly damaged infrastructure", she is happy to learn that Indonesian armed forces use military planes and helicopters to reach survivors.

On Monday, the Indonesian Energy Agency said it hoped to restore the power grid within three days. Meanwhile, portable generators and other supplies are being sent into the area aboard two C-130 Hercules cargo jets, according to Nugroho.

The earthquake struck at 17:02, quickly triggering a tsunami warning. About 30 minutes later, Indonesia's meteorological, climatological and geophysical agency rescinded the warning, saying the quake "was not capable of generating a tsunami affecting the Indian Ocean region".

Shortly after, a massive tsunami began to appear, including a video showing a huge wave devastating the houses and streets near the Palu Grand Mall.

The earthquake was caused by a "slip fault at shallow depths," says the US Geological Survey. And while it is common to focus on the epicentres of the temblors, the agency says that "earthquakes of this size are more appropriately described as landslides on a larger fault zone". He estimates that the size of this earthquake was about 80 x 30 km – about 50 km by 20 km.

The U.S.G.S. "Shallow earthquakes of this size can often have a deadly impact on neighboring communities."