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| Indonesia tsunami: death toll rises to 844 as rescuers struggle to get to victims - live | Indonesia tsunami: death toll rises to 844 as rescuers struggle to get to victims - live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| As Hannah mentioned earlier fuel shortages are hampering rescue efforts. | |
| Queues at petrol stations on the approaches to Palu stretch for kilometres, according to Reuters. | |
| Distressing images and descriptions have emerged of victims in body bags being buried in a mass grave in Poboya in the hills above Palu. | |
| AFP has this: | |
| At Poboya - in the hills above the devastated seaside city of Palu - volunteers began to fill a vast grave with the dead, with instructions to prepare for 1,300 victims to be laid to rest. | |
| Authorities are desperate to stave off any disease outbreak caused by decomposing bodies, some now are riddled with maggots. | |
| Three trucks arrived stacked with corpses wrapped in orange, yellow and black bags, an AFP reporter on the scene saw. One-by-one they were dragged into the grave as excavators poured soil on top. | |
| AP quoted local army commander Tiopan Aritonang as saying that 545 bodies for the grave would be brought from one hospital alone. It added: | |
| The trench dug in Palu was 10 meters by 100 meters (33 feet by 330 feet) and can be enlarged if needed, said Willem Rampangilei, chief of Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency. | |
| “This must be done as soon as possible for health and religious reasons,” he said. Indonesia is majority Muslim, and religious custom calls for burials soon after death, typically within one day. | |
| Local military spokesman Mohammad Thorir said the area adjacent to a public cemetery can hold 1,000 bodies. All of the victims, coming from local hospitals, have been photographed to help families locate where their relatives were buried. Video footage showed residents walking from body bag to body bag, opening the tops to check to see if they could identify faces. | |
| What we know so far | What we know so far |
| The death toll has risen to 844. However, this still doesn’t account for some of the worst hit areas in the region, such as the city of Donggala and the Balaroa region, where an entire housing estate home to 900 people sunk into the ground. Rescue teams have not been able to reach these areas yet to begin evacuations and body counts. | |
| Some 600 people have been hospitalised and more than 48,000 have been displaced. | |
| Electricity is still down in the affected region, hampering rescue efforts, and there is a major shortage of fuel. | |
| Teams began work burying the bodies in mass graves in the hills above Palu to prevent the spread of disease. A 100-metre long grave has been dug in preparation for 1,000 bodies. | Teams began work burying the bodies in mass graves in the hills above Palu to prevent the spread of disease. A 100-metre long grave has been dug in preparation for 1,000 bodies. |
| Palu airport will be open for a single flight a day to another area of Sulawesi. | |
| 1,425 prisoners are now missing from local jails. | |
| The official death toll did not increase as much as some had expected, mainly because some of the worst hit areas have still yet to be accessed by rescuers. The heavy machinery needed to lift up and uncover bodies from the rubble is also only just arriving into the area. | The official death toll did not increase as much as some had expected, mainly because some of the worst hit areas have still yet to be accessed by rescuers. The heavy machinery needed to lift up and uncover bodies from the rubble is also only just arriving into the area. |
| Of the 844 casualties, most recorded deaths were in the city of Palu- 821 people- which is the area most rescue teams are currently located. In the Parigi Moutong region 12 people have died and in Donggala the death toll still stands at 11. A total of 744 bodies have been identified. | Of the 844 casualties, most recorded deaths were in the city of Palu- 821 people- which is the area most rescue teams are currently located. In the Parigi Moutong region 12 people have died and in Donggala the death toll still stands at 11. A total of 744 bodies have been identified. |
| The press conference has now ended. We will post a summary of the updates shortly | The press conference has now ended. We will post a summary of the updates shortly |
| One of the points most severely affected by the earthquake was Balaroa National Park in Palu. When the earthquake struck, the land, which was heavily occupied, moved up and then sank down by 5 metres, said Sutopo. | One of the points most severely affected by the earthquake was Balaroa National Park in Palu. When the earthquake struck, the land, which was heavily occupied, moved up and then sank down by 5 metres, said Sutopo. |
| “We do not know how many victims have been buried here, we estimate in the hundreds,” he added. | “We do not know how many victims have been buried here, we estimate in the hundreds,” he added. |
| The bodies of the six-man paragliding team who had been staying at a hotel in Palu for a local competition have not been found, said Sutopo | The bodies of the six-man paragliding team who had been staying at a hotel in Palu for a local competition have not been found, said Sutopo |
| Sutopo said that the damage and death at Talise beach, in Palu, was “severe”. Hundreds had been gathered on the beach for the Nomini music festival, when the tsunami wave hit. Sutopo said many bodies had been found amongst the debris but they were still waiting on an official death toll from the area. | Sutopo said that the damage and death at Talise beach, in Palu, was “severe”. Hundreds had been gathered on the beach for the Nomini music festival, when the tsunami wave hit. Sutopo said many bodies had been found amongst the debris but they were still waiting on an official death toll from the area. |
| Sutopo contradicted earlier reports that the government had given the residents of Palu permission to loot food from the shops. | Sutopo contradicted earlier reports that the government had given the residents of Palu permission to loot food from the shops. |
| “The Minister of Home Affairs did not legalise looting in areas affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Central Sulawesi,” he said. | “The Minister of Home Affairs did not legalise looting in areas affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Central Sulawesi,” he said. |
| “Hundreds of residents have queued up outside the airport, because they are traumatized so they wanted to leave Palu,” said Sutopo. | “Hundreds of residents have queued up outside the airport, because they are traumatized so they wanted to leave Palu,” said Sutopo. |
| The new flight schedule will only be one flight a day, between Palu and Makassar, on an aircraft which seats 70 people. Departures will approximately be at 7-9 am. | The new flight schedule will only be one flight a day, between Palu and Makassar, on an aircraft which seats 70 people. Departures will approximately be at 7-9 am. |
| Palu airport will be re-opened for limited flights. | Palu airport will be re-opened for limited flights. |
| Sutopo said evacuation of Balaroa, an area where hundreds lived in a housing complex which sank five mtres into the ground during the earthquake, was proving difficult for rescue teams because of lack of access. | Sutopo said evacuation of Balaroa, an area where hundreds lived in a housing complex which sank five mtres into the ground during the earthquake, was proving difficult for rescue teams because of lack of access. |
| “In the Patobo it is estimated that hundreds of victims have died from being buried in mud,” he added | “In the Patobo it is estimated that hundreds of victims have died from being buried in mud,” he added |
| 144 foreign nationals who were in Palu and Donggala during the earthquake and tsunami, according to Sutopo. | 144 foreign nationals who were in Palu and Donggala during the earthquake and tsunami, according to Sutopo. |
| Sutopo emphasised that the disaster agency still had “limited data, information and access” to affected areas. “The electricity and communication conditions for Palu, Donggala, Sigi and Parigi Moutong are also paralysed,” he said. | Sutopo emphasised that the disaster agency still had “limited data, information and access” to affected areas. “The electricity and communication conditions for Palu, Donggala, Sigi and Parigi Moutong are also paralysed,” he said. |
| “Heavy equipment has arrived” said Sutopo, “but a large amount is needed to evacuate victims hit by debris and buried in mud.” | “Heavy equipment has arrived” said Sutopo, “but a large amount is needed to evacuate victims hit by debris and buried in mud.” |
| Sutopo has arrived and is now addressing journalists with updates. The official death toll has risen only slightly, to 844. | Sutopo has arrived and is now addressing journalists with updates. The official death toll has risen only slightly, to 844. |