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A man examines the damage caused by an earthquake and tsunami in Palu, central Sulawesi, Indonesia, Saturday, September 29, 2018. The powerful earthquake hit Indonesia's Sulawesi island Friday, causing a 3-meter drop (10 feet). large) tsunami that one official said took away homes in at least two cities. (AP Photo / Rifki)
JAKARTA – The Indonesian authorities on Saturday hastily increased the number of deaths following the earthquake and tsunami that struck the island of Sulawesi the previous day, taking buildings and burying their victims under collapsed rubble.
More than 384 people died in the only city in Palu, one of the two cities most affected by the tsunami, according to Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the Indonesian National Agency for Disaster Management. Relief workers fought on Saturday afternoon to reach the nearby city of Donggala, home to 300,000 people, and surrounding areas after the collapse of a large bridge. The authorities fear that the death toll, which was 48 hours earlier, may continue to increase rapidly.
"It is estimated that the number will continue to increase as research continues," Nugroho said. It can not be done quickly due to power outages, he added.
A 10-foot tsunami was fired late Friday afternoon by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake and quickly hit both cities and nearby settlements. Dramatic videos to show waves breaking in buildings and people screaming and fleeing.
Authorities said "tens to hundreds" of people were near the ocean in Palu for a beach festival when the tsunami hit and their fate is unknown.
Saturday rescuers were struggling with poor communications, widespread breakdowns, destroyed bridges and blocked roads. Yenni Suryani, national director of Catholic Relief Services in Indonesia, said Saturday morning that rescuers had not been able to reach the affected area and that communications were still close to the epicenter of the Donggala region. Palu airport was closed on Saturday, its seriously cracked track of the earthquake.
"I'm worried about people who could have been swept away. Several mosques, a shopping center and many houses have collapsed, "said Suryani. "The impact is important and as soon as our local partners reach the affected areas and establish communication, we will know more about the extent of the destruction and the most urgent needs of the people."
Nugroho, the agency's spokesman for the disasters, said that thousands of homes, hotels, shopping centers, hospitals and other public facilities had been damaged. Hospitalized patients in Palu are treated outside the building to avoid the danger of potential aftershocks.
Indonesia is prone to earthquakes because of its location on the "Ring of Fire", an arch of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. Last month, a powerful earthquake hit the island of Lombok, followed by a series of major earthquakes throughout the month. More than 500 people were killed.
In December 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra, in western Indonesia, triggered a tsunami that claimed the lives of 230,000 people in a dozen countries.
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