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Indonesia tsunami: hundreds dead on Sulawesi after powerful earthquake Indonesia tsunami: hundreds dead on Sulawesi after powerful earthquake
(about 4 hours later)
At least 384 people have died after a magnitude-7.5 earthquake rocked the Indonesian island of Sulawesi and triggered a tsunami.At least 384 people have died after a magnitude-7.5 earthquake rocked the Indonesian island of Sulawesi and triggered a tsunami.
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. Athonius Gunawan Agung, an air traffic controller who jumped off a tower roof as it was collapsing while waving out the last flight from Palu airport on Friday night, was one of the first casualties of the disaster.
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. The 21-year-old broke several bones, including an arm and a leg as he jumped off the tower. His employers sent a helicopter to ferry him to another city for treatment, but he died 20 minutes before it arrived.
Videos shared on social media showed a powerful wave smashing into the town, engulfing the roofs of buildings. The powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck Palu, on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi just before dusk on Friday, wreaking havoc and destruction across the city and triggering a deadly tsunami on its coast.
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. In the city of the Palu, home to 350,000, at least 384 people have already been confirmed dead, with more than 500 injured.
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. The quake destroyed thousands of homes in the city, as well as an eight-storey hotel, hospital and a large department store.
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. The damage has been described as extensive, with a main highway cut off due a landslide, and a large bridge washed away by the tsunami wave, which hit Palu’s Talise beach and the coastal town of Donggala.
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. The tsunami wave reportedly reached as high as six metres, and as it approached land was travelling up to 250mph (400km/h).
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. “The tsunami didn’t come by itself,” said Indonesia’s disaster agency spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, “It dragged cars, logs, houses, it hit everything on land.”
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.” On Saturday morning as residents awoke to the destruction, with some areas entirely flattened – a horizon of scattered wood, debris and corrugated iron roofs – people have been desperately trying to find their missing relatives.
She said she had identified victims among the debris. A Facebook page for information on Palu city has become a pop-up ledger for missing persons, with family members posting pictures of their missing children, wives, fathers and grandparents, in the hope that someone will find them.
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”. Of the almost 400 dead, emergency teams have only managed to identify 97 so far.
“There are reports that many buildings collapsed in the earthquake,” he said. “Residents panicked and scattered out of their homes.” In the aftermath of the disaster phone communications and seven power stations were knocked out, although on Saturday morning the state electricity company managed to power up two of them.
The shallow tremor was more powerful than a series of earthquakes that killed hundreds on the Indonesian island of Lombok in July and August. With limited communications it has been impossible for authorities to immediately determine the full extent of the damage or death toll, especially in the coastal town of Donggala, population 270,000.
“Donggala is still unreachable because communications are still cut off,” disaster spokesperson Sutopo, told reporters on Saturday afternoon.
Sutopo said bodies of people killed by the tsunami had been found on the shores of local beaches, but there is yet to be an official tally.
Early witness reports said that people had been killed on Talise beach in Palu.
“Many corpses are scattered on the beach and floating on the surface of the sea,” one local resident, Nining, told kompas.com.
Photos shared on social media showed bodies being lined up on a shoreline, their faces covered in cloth.
Authorities have warned the extent of the tragedy could worsen in the coming days, as more information from currently disconnected areas comes to light.
Hundreds of people planning to attend a beach festival who are now missing, may be among the rising toll.
“When the [tsunami] threat arose yesterday, people were still doing their activities on the beach and did not immediately run and they became victims,” Sutopo said
Amateur footage that has gone viral on Indonesian social media shows a huge wave hitting the coastline, engulfing the roofs of houses as it crashes into the city, and floods into a nearby mosque.
Search and rescue teams have been deployed to the worst affected areas, with authorities saying that military transport planes and helicopters would be deployed along with “all national potential”. About 700 army and police officers have also been dispatched to assist in the emergency response.
The military has also started sending in cargo planes with aid, authorities said, from Jakarta and other cities, but evacuees still badly need food and other basic necessities.
As of Saturday evening more than 16,000 people had been displaced, evacuating to 24 centres in Palu. Indonesia’s president, Joko Widodo, is scheduled to visit evacuation centres in Palu on Sunday.
Indonesia’s disaster agency is working to restore electricity and communications, as well as address urgent needs, such as the provision of medical treatment, temporary housing and basic supplies such as food and water.
Palu’s airport also sustained damage to its control tower and runway. Commercial flights were suspended on Saturday, with only humanitarian and search and rescue flights permitted, although authorities are assessing whether the airport can be reopened on Sunday.
The air traffic controller, Athonius Gunawan Agung, is being honoured by his employers AirNav Indonesia, in a ceremony in the city of Makassar on Saturday night. His rank will be raised by two levels, before his body is handed over to family members.
The strongest quake, caused by activity in the Palu-Koro faultline, hit at 6.02pm on Friday at depth of 10km, and has been followed by dozens of smaller aftershocks, including one of 6.7. An earlier 6.1 quake in central Sulawesi killed several people, injured 10 and damaged dozens of houses.
The shallow tremor was more powerful than a series of earthquakes that killed hundreds on the Indonesian island of Lombok this July and August.
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.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 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 “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.
IndonesiaIndonesia
EarthquakesEarthquakes
TsunamisTsunamis
Natural disasters and extreme weatherNatural disasters and extreme weather
Asia PacificAsia Pacific
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