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| Sulawesi tsunami: death toll rises to 844 as rescuers struggle to get to victims - as it happened | |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| What we know so far | What we know so far |
| The official deathtoll from the earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia has risen to 844, but thousands more are feared dead as aid workers continue to struggle to reach the worst hit areas of Donggala and the Balaroa region. | The official deathtoll from the earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia has risen to 844, but thousands more are feared dead as aid workers continue to struggle to reach the worst hit areas of Donggala and the Balaroa region. |
| The bodies of some of the victims have been buried in a mass grave near Palu. The grave has space for more than 1,000 people. | The bodies of some of the victims have been buried in a mass grave near Palu. The grave has space for more than 1,000 people. |
| At least 600 people wounded in the disaster are being treated in hospital. More than 48,000 have been forced from their homes. | At least 600 people wounded in the disaster are being treated in hospital. More than 48,000 have been forced from their homes. |
| Electricity is still down in the affected region, hampering rescue efforts, and there is a major shortage of fuel. Queues at petrol stations around Palu reportedly stretch for kilometres. The International Committee of Red Cross says 178 of its aid workers are on the ground in the area. | Electricity is still down in the affected region, hampering rescue efforts, and there is a major shortage of fuel. Queues at petrol stations around Palu reportedly stretch for kilometres. The International Committee of Red Cross says 178 of its aid workers are on the ground in the area. |
| Thousands of people have tried to flee Palu via the city’s airport. Only one flight a day is due to leave. | Thousands of people have tried to flee Palu via the city’s airport. Only one flight a day is due to leave. |
| More than 1,400 prisoners are missing from a local jails in the area. | More than 1,400 prisoners are missing from a local jails in the area. |
| Here’s video of the scenes at Palu airport as thousands of people try to get a flight out. | Here’s video of the scenes at Palu airport as thousands of people try to get a flight out. |
| Local television said around 3,000 residents had flocked to the Palu airport trying to get out, AP reports. | Local television said around 3,000 residents had flocked to the Palu airport trying to get out, AP reports. |
| Footage showed some people screaming in anger because they were not able to board departing military aircraft. The airport has resumed only some commercial flights. | Footage showed some people screaming in anger because they were not able to board departing military aircraft. The airport has resumed only some commercial flights. |
| “We have not eaten for three days!” one woman yelled. “We just want to be safe!” | “We have not eaten for three days!” one woman yelled. “We just want to be safe!” |
| In his press conference disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said conditions in the Petobo neighbuorhood of Palu city were particularly bad because the quake caused a phenomenon called liquefaction, AP reports. | In his press conference disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said conditions in the Petobo neighbuorhood of Palu city were particularly bad because the quake caused a phenomenon called liquefaction, AP reports. |
| This occurs when loose water-filled soil near the surface loses its strength and collapses. | This occurs when loose water-filled soil near the surface loses its strength and collapses. |
| Nugroho said authorities estimate that “there are still hundreds of victims buried in mud” in the area. | Nugroho said authorities estimate that “there are still hundreds of victims buried in mud” in the area. |
| Villagers who pulled out loved ones alive and dead over the weekend expressed frustration that rescue teams had only reached Petobo on Monday. | Villagers who pulled out loved ones alive and dead over the weekend expressed frustration that rescue teams had only reached Petobo on Monday. |
| On Sunday Sutopo tweeted terrifying video purporting to show liquefaction taking place in the aftermath of the earthquake. | On Sunday Sutopo tweeted terrifying video purporting to show liquefaction taking place in the aftermath of the earthquake. |
| Detik-detik saat rumah-rumah bergerak dan roboh disebabkan proses likuifaksi dan amblesan akibat gempa 7,4 SR di Kota Palu. Permukaan tanah bergerak dan ambles sehingga semua bangunan hancur. Proses geologi yang sangat mengerikan. Diperkirakan korban terjebak di daerah ini. pic.twitter.com/Vf5McUaaSG | Detik-detik saat rumah-rumah bergerak dan roboh disebabkan proses likuifaksi dan amblesan akibat gempa 7,4 SR di Kota Palu. Permukaan tanah bergerak dan ambles sehingga semua bangunan hancur. Proses geologi yang sangat mengerikan. Diperkirakan korban terjebak di daerah ini. pic.twitter.com/Vf5McUaaSG |
| Other videos claiming to the show the phenomenon have also emerged. | Other videos claiming to the show the phenomenon have also emerged. |
| Indonesian disaster agency says this shows “liquefaction” of ground as earthquake ripples radiate out. Utterly terrifying. #Palu. @Channel4News pic.twitter.com/HTviei0KGZ | Indonesian disaster agency says this shows “liquefaction” of ground as earthquake ripples radiate out. Utterly terrifying. #Palu. @Channel4News pic.twitter.com/HTviei0KGZ |
| Lian Gogali, one of the first aid workers to reach the devastated district of Donggala north of Palu, says the homes of hundreds of people have been destroyed. | Lian Gogali, one of the first aid workers to reach the devastated district of Donggala north of Palu, says the homes of hundreds of people have been destroyed. |
| She tweeted an image of an area covered in debris that she said was home to 600 families. | She tweeted an image of an area covered in debris that she said was home to 600 families. |
| SOS evakuasi di Donggala->Wilayah ini ad/ pemukiman padat di Kel. Mamboro yg menghadap laut, didiami 600 KK. Skrg rata tanah. #sesarpalukoro #palukuatdonggalakuatsigikuat cc @BNPB_Indonesia pic.twitter.com/RmM6PopC1W | SOS evakuasi di Donggala->Wilayah ini ad/ pemukiman padat di Kel. Mamboro yg menghadap laut, didiami 600 KK. Skrg rata tanah. #sesarpalukoro #palukuatdonggalakuatsigikuat cc @BNPB_Indonesia pic.twitter.com/RmM6PopC1W |
| Reuters said she reached the area by motorcycle. | Reuters said she reached the area by motorcycle. |
| She told the agency that hundreds of people are facing a lack of food and medicine were trying to get out, but evacuation teams had yet to arrive and roads were blocked. | She told the agency that hundreds of people are facing a lack of food and medicine were trying to get out, but evacuation teams had yet to arrive and roads were blocked. |
| Aid supplies that have reached the stricken areas are a “drop in the bucket” of what’s required, the International Federation of the Red Cross has warned. | Aid supplies that have reached the stricken areas are a “drop in the bucket” of what’s required, the International Federation of the Red Cross has warned. |
| Jan Gelfand, head of the IFRC’s country cluster support office in Jakarta, said the agency now had 178 aid workers on the ground. | Jan Gelfand, head of the IFRC’s country cluster support office in Jakarta, said the agency now had 178 aid workers on the ground. |
| Speaking to the the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme he said: | Speaking to the the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme he said: |
| We have field kitchens we have things coming in by sea. We have 25 water tankers coming in, but this is a drop in the bucket to what the need is. | We have field kitchens we have things coming in by sea. We have 25 water tankers coming in, but this is a drop in the bucket to what the need is. |
| So we are having to find very creative ways to get there. We don’t even know what some of the damage is in the areas that are more remote. Our teams took 12 to 15 hours to get in and so it is going to be a while before even the assessment is done before we get a true picture of the situation. | So we are having to find very creative ways to get there. We don’t even know what some of the damage is in the areas that are more remote. Our teams took 12 to 15 hours to get in and so it is going to be a while before even the assessment is done before we get a true picture of the situation. |
| We are doing what we can. Things are opening up a little bit more but the need is great. The event is very serious and this is a longterm process. | We are doing what we can. Things are opening up a little bit more but the need is great. The event is very serious and this is a longterm process. |
| As Hannah mentioned earlier fuel shortages are hampering rescue efforts. | 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. | 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. | 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: | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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: | 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. | 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. | “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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. |