The tsunami in Indonesia has left more than 800 dead and is on the rise – People's World

PALU, Indonesia – Locals too frightened to sleep at home in the dark as their victims told poignant stories of separation from their loved ones after the earthquake triggered a tsunami that triggered waves of violence. 39, a height of up to 6 meters to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.

The official death toll has exceeded 800 people with all the victims in the hard hit Palu, but it is expected to increase once rescuers reach the surrounding coastal areas, the spokesman said. the agency of disaster prevention, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho. He added that other people had not been found without giving an estimate. The neighboring towns of Donggala and Mamuju were also ravaged, but little information was available due to damaged roads and disrupted telecommunications.

Nugroho said "tens to hundreds" of people were attending a beach festival in Palu when the tsunami hit Friday night. Their destiny was unknown.

Hundreds of people were injured and hospitals damaged by the magnitude 7.5 earthquake were submerged.

Some of the injured, including Dwi Haris, who had fractured his back and shoulders, were resting in front of the Palu Military Hospital, where patients were treated outside due to strong aftershocks. Tears took over his eyes as he recounted having felt the violent earthquake that had rocked the fifth floor hotel room that he shared with his wife and daughter.

"There was no time to escape. I think I found myself stuck in the ruins of the wall, "said Haris, adding that the family was in town for a wedding. "I heard my wife asking for help, but then silence. I do not know what happened to her and my child. I hope they are safe.

This is the latest natural disaster to hit Indonesia, which is frequently hit by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the "Ring of Fire", an arch of volcanoes and fault in the Pacific basin. In December 2004, a major earthquake of magnitude 9.1 off the island of Sumatra, in western Indonesia, triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries. Last month, a powerful earthquake on the island of Lombok killed 505 people.

Palu, which has more than 380,000 inhabitants, was strewn with debris from the earthquake and tsunami. A mosque heavily damaged by the earthquake was half submerged and a shopping center was reduced to a crumpled hulk. A large bridge with yellow arches had collapsed. Some bodies were partially covered with tarpaulins and a man was carrying a dead child through the wreckage.

The city is built around a narrow bay that apparently amplified the strength of the tsunami waters as they headed for the narrow entrance.

Indonesian television has broadcast on its smartphone a dramatic video showing a powerful wave striking Palu, people shouting and running out of fear. The water is broken in the buildings and the mosque.

Nina, a 23-year-old woman with the same name, was working in a laundry shop not far from the beach when the earthquake struck. She said the earthquake destroyed her workplace, but managed to escape and quickly returned home to look for her mother and younger brother.

"We tried to find shelter, but I heard people shouting," Water! Water! & # 39; She remembered crying. "We all ran, but we parted. Now, I do not know where my mother and my brother are. I do not know how to get information. I do not know what to do. "

The earthquake left mutilated buildings with collapsed awnings and reinforcing bars protruding from concrete like antennas. The roads were curled and cracked. The tsunami created even more destruction. It was reported that it was 3 meters (10 feet) high in some areas and doubled that height elsewhere.

"We received a report on the phone that said a guy had climbed a tree up to 6 feet tall," said Nugroho, spokesman for the disaster agency.

Communications with the region has been difficult because electricity and telecommunications have been cut off, hampering search and rescue efforts. Most people slept on the outside, fearing strong aftershocks.

"We hope that international satellites crossing Indonesia will be able to capture images and provide them to us so that we can use these images to prepare humanitarian aid," Nugroho said.

Indonesia is a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands with 260 million inhabitants. Roads and infrastructure are poor in many areas, making access difficult under the best conditions.

The disaster prevention agency said that essential planes could land at Palu airport, although AirNav, which oversees the navigation of the aircraft, said the runway was cracked and the control tower had been closed. damaged.

AirNav said one of its 21-year-old air traffic controllers was dead in the earthquake after staying in the tower to make sure the flight he had just approved for the departure was well suspended. . It made.

More than half of the 560 inmates in a Palu prison fled after the collapse of its walls during the earthquake, said its director, Adhi Yan Ricoh.

"It was very difficult for the security guards to prevent the detainees from escaping because they were so panicked and had to save themselves," he told the security agency. Antara official press.

Ricoh said there was no immediate plan to search for detainees, as prison staff and police were exhausted by search and rescue efforts.

"Do not even think about finding the detainees. We do not even have time to report this incident to our superiors, "he said.

Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said Friday night that he had instructed the Security Minister to coordinate the government's response to the disaster.

Jokowi also told reporters in his hometown of Solo that he had called on the country's army chief to participate in the search and rescue efforts.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said US officials are in contact with the Indonesian authorities and "stand ready to provide support as needed."

Associated Press Editors Margie Mason and Stephen Wright contributed to this report from Jakarta, Indonesia.

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