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Indonesia tsunami: hundreds killed on Sulawesi after powerful earthquake Indonesia tsunami: hundreds killed on Sulawesi after powerful earthquake
(35 minutes later)
A powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake and tsunami have killed at least 384 people in the city of Palu on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, rescue officials have said. Hundreds more have been injured and thousands of homes destroyed. At least 384 people have died after a magnitude-7.5 earthquake rocked the Indonesian island of Sulawesi and triggered a tsunami.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesperson for Indonesia’s disaster agency, said authorities were still unable to reach areas worst hit by the 1.5-metre tsunami, such as the coastal city of Donggala. Indonesia’s disaster agency updated the death toll on Saturday afternoon local time as emergency teams worked to rescue those injured and recover bodies from more than 1,000 buildings destroyed in the city of Palu, home to about 350,000 people.
Amateur footage shot by residents and widely shared on social media show a powerful wave smashing into the city, entirely engulfing nearby houses. The disaster agency has confirmed the veracity of the footage. The full extent of the damage is still coming to light, with communications down in the coastal area of Donggala, which was the worst affected by the tsunami.
Detik-detik saat tsunami menerjang Pantai Palu pada 28/9/2018 sore pascagempa 7,7 SR mengguncang Donggala. Tinggi tsunami sekitar 3 meter. Permukiman di sekitar pantai hancur disapu tsunami. pic.twitter.com/GnxecozDKk Videos shared on social media showed a powerful wave smashing into the town, engulfing the roofs of buildings.
Communications and electricity are still down, and the full extent of the damage remains unclear. The death toll is widely expected to rise. Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the disaster agency spokesman, said many bodies were found along the shoreline in Donggala, but the full death toll from the area remained unknown. The number is expected to rise as operations continue.
Images emerged on Saturday morning showing that some areas have been almost entirely flattened, with roads split and buildings collapsed, including hospitals and a shopping mall. A large bridge in Donggala was totally destroyed by the wave, while the airport in Palu sustained damage to the runaway and a terminal tower. Only 56 of those killed have been identified so far. On Facebook, residents of Palu were posting pictures of their loved ones in the hope that people might be able to help locate them.
Unconfirmed photos show dozens of corpses lined up and covered in cloth by the shoreline covered by debris. TV images showed dozens of injured people being treated in makeshift medical tents set up outdoors in public places. The fate of hundreds of people attending a beach festival scheduled for Friday evening is unknown, with 250 officers who were policing the event missing.
Early witness reports said the tsunami had claimed lives on Talise beach in Palu, a city that is home to about 350,000 people. “Many corpses are scattered on the beach and floating on the surface of the sea,” Nining, a resident, told Kompas.com. Nining said she had identified victims amongst the debris of the coastal area, which has reportedly sustained severe damage. On Saturday morning, photos emerged showing some areas have been almost entirely flattened, with roads cracked and buildings collapsed, including hospitals and a shopping centre. A large bridge in Donggala was totally destroyed by a wave, while the airport in Palu sustained damage to the runaway and a terminal tower.
Search and rescue teams have been sent to hard-hit areas, Nugroho said on Saturday. On Friday he said military transport planes and helicopters would be deployed on Saturday, along with “all national potential”. Unconfirmed images showed dozens of bodies lined up and covered in cloth by the shoreline, which was littered with debris. Television pictures showed dozens of injured people being treated in makeshift medical tents.
Early witness reports said the tsunami had killed people on Talise beach in Palu. Nining, a resident, told Kompas.com: “Many corpses are scattered on the beach and floating on the surface of the sea.”
She said she had identified victims among the debris.
Search and rescue teams have been sent to the worst affected areas, Nugroho said on Saturday. He earlier said military transport planes and helicopters would be deployed along with “all national potential”.
“There are reports that many buildings collapsed in the earthquake,” he said. “Residents panicked and scattered out of their homes.”“There are reports that many buildings collapsed in the earthquake,” he said. “Residents panicked and scattered out of their homes.”
The shallow 7.5 magnitude tremor was more powerful than a series of quakes that killed hundreds on the Indonesian island of Lombok in July and August. The shallow tremor was more powerful than a series of earthquakes that killed hundreds on the Indonesian island of Lombok in July and August.
People living hundreds of kilometres from the epicentre reported feeling the massive shake, hours after a smaller jolt killed at least one person in the same part of the south-east Asian archipelago. People living hundreds of miles from the epicentre reported feeling the massive quake on Friday, hours after a smaller jolt killed at least one person in the same region.
The magnitude 7.5 earthquake on Friday was followed by numerous strong aftershocks, including one of magnitude 6.7. An earlier magnitude 6.1 quake in central Sulawesi killed several people, injured 10 and damaged dozens of houses. The magnitude-7.5 earthquake on Friday was followed by numerous strong aftershocks, including one of 6.7. An earlier 6.1 quake in central Sulawesi killed several people, injured 10 and damaged dozens of houses.
Indonesia is prone to earthquakes because of its location on the so-called Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and faultlines in the Pacific Basin. Indonesia is prone to earthquakes because of its location on the “ring of fire”, an arc of volcanoes and faultlines in the Pacific basin.
Earlier this year, a series of powerful quakes hit Lombok, killing more than 550 people on the holiday island and neighbouring Sumbawa. Some 1,500 people were injured and about 400,000 residents were displaced after their homes were destroyed.
In December 2004 a magnitude 9.1 quake off Sumatra in western Indonesia triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries.
Allahu Akbar.Detik2 terjadinya Tsunami yang direkam warga diatasi jembatan 4 atau jembatan kuning di daerah Talise, Kota Palu. Jembatan ini juga roboh akibat gempa 7,7 SR.#Gempa #PrayForDonggala #prayforpalu #PrayforSulteng #earthquake #tsunamiPalu #TSUNAMI #tsunamidonggala pic.twitter.com/ub6MhYtbGq
IndonesiaIndonesia
EarthquakesEarthquakes
TsunamisTsunamis
Natural disasters and extreme weatherNatural disasters and extreme weather
Asia PacificAsia Pacific
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