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Indonesia tsunami death toll at 832 and expected to rise, say officials – live updates
Indonesia tsunami death toll at 832 and expected to rise, say officials – live updates
(35 minutes later)
The effected area is bigger than originally thought. Only 11 deaths have been reported so far from Donggala, the worst hit area, so casualties are expected to rise sharply when rescue teams gain access
Supoto’s press conference has now ended. We will have full details here imminently.
The number of earthquake and tsunami victims in Palu City continued to increase, said Supoto. There are currently 261 people at Bhayangkara Hospital in Palu and getting higher by the hour.
Yesterday 87 bodies were identified by the National Police DVI Team. The identification process continues
The evacuation of the victims buried in the earthquake at the Roa-Roa Hotel in Palu City continues to be carried out by a search and rescue team, coordinated by the disaster agency.
The evacuation of the victims buried in the earthquake at the Roa-Roa Hotel in Palu City continues to be carried out by a search and rescue team, coordinated by the disaster agency.
“There are 50 people under the rubble of the building. Heavy equipment is needed for evacuation,” said Sutopo
“There are 50 people under the rubble of the building. Heavy equipment is needed for evacuation,” said Sutopo
Sutopo confirmed that the tsunami waves had been as high as six metres in some places
Sutopo confirmed that the tsunami waves had been as high as six metres in some places
There is no electricity in the area as five power stations have been damaged and the pipe network for clean drinking water has also been severely damaged. There is also very limited access to fuel for vehicles.
There is no electricity in the area as five power stations have been damaged and the pipe network for clean drinking water has also been severely damaged. There is also very limited access to fuel for vehicles.
Bodies are now being buried in mass graves, according to Sutopo
Bodies are now being buried in mass graves, according to Sutopo.
“Many victims were buried en masse due to health considerations. And victims who died were buried after being identified through DVI, face recognition, fingerprints,” he said.
Sutopo said access to Donggala, as well as the towns of Sigi and Boutong, is still limited and there are no comprehensive reports from those areas.
Sutopo said access to Donggala, as well as the towns of Sigi and Boutong, is still limited and there are no comprehensive reports from those areas.
He said: “The death is believed to be still increasing since many bodies were still under the wreckage while many have not able to be reached.”
He said: “The death is believed to be still increasing since many bodies were still under the wreckage while many have not able to be reached.”
Sutopo said access to heavy equipment needed to help the rescue efforts is still limited and there are many obstacles in the evacuation process.
During the earthquake there were 61 foreign nationals in the city of Palu. Three French people, one Malaysian and one South Korean are currently missing
Sutopo has confirmed that 832 people have been killed in the Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami, with the number expected to rise.
821 died in Palu and 11 people have been confirmed dead in Donggala. 540 people were seriously injured and hospitalised.
While we wait for a translation of Supoto’s press conference, here are some images from Palu which show the extent of the devastation
The press conference is about to kick off, with Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesperson for the disaster agency (BNBP) about to address journalists
One of the first casualties of the earthquake, 21-year-old Anthonius Gunawan Agung, is being hailed as a hero after he stayed in the air traffic control tower as the earthquake hit, to make sure that a flight to Bali could take off safely.
“When the earthquake occurred, Agung had cleared Batik Air for takeoff. He waited until the aircraft was safely in the air before leaving his air traffic controller cabin,” Yohanes Sirait, a spokesman for state-owned flight navigation service AirNav Indonesia, said in a statement on Saturday.
Agung then jumped from the control tower as it was collapsing, but he did not survive.
Telah wafat saat menjalankan tugasnya sebagai personel layanan navigasi penerbangan, Saudara Anthonius Gunawan Agung, Air Traffic Controller (ATC) AirNav Indonesia Cabang Palu pada Sabtu (29/09).#RIPAgung #DoaUntukSulteng#PrayforDonggala #PrayforPalu pic.twitter.com/6Wpobp3R7m
This is the current state of the airport in Palu
This is the airport in Palu pic by @a_mibali pic.twitter.com/LeGIlEK6ky
This footage shows the moment that the first towering wall of water hit coast of Palu city, enveloping everything in its path. A second wave, which hit the city moments later, can be seen in the background.
Bodies of those killed by the tsunami have been found on the shores of local beaches, according to Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesperson for the disaster agency.
“We have found corpses from the earthquake as well as bodies swept up by the tsunami,” Sutopo said in a televised interview on Saturday.
There are still no casualty figures from the city of Donggala, which is home to 300,000 people and was the worst hit area.
More than half of the 560 inmates in Palu’s prison escaped after walls collapsed during Friday’s quake, the Indonesian news agency Antara reported. “It was very hard for the guards to stop the inmates from running away as they were so panicked and had to save themselves too,” warden Adhi Yan Ricoh said.
The Indonesian Government has also reportedly given the people in Palu permission to loot food and water from shops
In Palu, search and rescue teams are working to pull survivors from collapsed homes and shopping malls. Around 60 of people are feared trapped in the ruins of the 80-room Roa Roa hotel, with voices heard calling from the rubble.
By Sunday morning, rescuers had pulled out six people alive but dozens are still thought to be inside.
Evakuasi korban tertimbun gempa di Hotel Roa-Roa Kota Pqluterus dilakukan Tim SAR Gabungan dikoordinir Basarnas. Diperkiran terdapat 50 orang di bawah reruntuhan bangunan. Alat berat diperlukan untuk evakuasi. pic.twitter.com/LGWwp3OEhE
Thousands are feared dead after a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. It triggered a deadly tsunami off the coast of the city of Palu, which is home to 350,000 people.
The earthquake and subsequent tsunami caused thousands of buildings to collapse, including a hotel, a shopping mall and several mosques. The current death toll is 420, but rescue teams are currently scrabbling to reach the area and it is expected to rise into the thousands. It is feared the tsunami may have washed many of those on the coast out to sea.
Read our main story here.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesperson for the disaster agency (BNBP), is due to address a press conference at 1pm Jakarta time, providing information on the latest death toll and extent of the damage so far. Stay tuned for updates.
