The death toll from a powerful earthquake and tsunami that hit Indonesia's Sulawesi island is now in the thousands. The extent of damage is still unknown as remote villages remain cut off from aid due to blocked roads.
So far, the death toll has mostly been made up of deaths in the small city of Palu, 1,500 km (930 miles) northeast of Jakarta, but some nearby remote areas have been cut off from aid due to impassable roads and there are fears the death toll could surge once access is gained.
The earthquake caused tsunami waves that hit the Indonesia's Sulawesi island and has so far claimed the lives of at least 1,234 people.
International aid organization The Red Cross described the situation as "nightmarish" and said reports from its workers in one cut-off area, Donggala, a region of 300,000 people north of Palu, indicated it had been hit "extremely hard."
The community of Balaroa had also received no government help sparking outrage among residents as people remain trapped.
A number of disaster personnel arrived in the Balaroa neighborhood on Tuesday morning to assess the damage, and an official visiting from another part of Indonesia that has migrants in Balaroa said the area had been "blended," the Associated Press reported.
Four badly hit districts have a combined population of about 1.4 million.
National disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said almost 62,000 people had been displaced from their homes.
Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla has said by the time a final toll is released, "thousands" may have died in the disaster.
Indonesia tsunami and earthquake devastate Sulawesi island
Authorities have ended a search for more than 5,000 people still missing, leaving their whereabouts a mystery. Indonesia is grappling with widespread destruction after an earthquake and tsunami struck Sulawesi Island.
Image: Reuters/H. Mubarak
A bridge washed away
On Friday, September 28, a massive tidal wave unleashed by a 7.5-magnitude quake slammed into the Indonesian city of Palu located on Sulawesi island. The impact washed away Palu's 300-meter (328 yard) double-arched bridge, plunging cars into the water.
Image: Getty Images/C. Court
A deadly geophysical coincidence
This satellite image from October 1 shows how Palu is built on lowlands at the end of a narrow bay. Scientists say the shape of the bay amplified the size and power of the waves by forcing the water into a narrow and shallow channel. The earthquake's epicenter was also located close to shore, making the waves more powerful and leaving little time for warning.
Image: Reuters/Planet Labs Inc
A flooded mosque
The wave hit Palu, a city with a population of 380,000, on Friday evening as Muslim worshippers were gathering for evening prayers in local mosques. Authorities said that many others were caught on the beach while preparing a festival which was set to start later in the day.
Image: BNPB
Hospitals overwhelmed
With local hospitals crowded by hundreds of wounded, doctors were forced to treat the injured outside. Komang Adi Sujendra, director of a Palu hospital, urged assistance. "We need all the help we can get," he said. "We need field hospitals, medical workers, medicines and blankets."
Image: Getty Images/AFP/M. Rifki
Burying the dead
On October 2, the official death toll of the tsunami and quake reached over 1,200. Authorities expect that number to rise as more people remain trapped. On October 1, the national disaster agency told AP that over 150 bodies were buried in a mass grave, with the burial operations ongoing. Indonesia is a majority-Muslim nation, and religious custom calls for burial soon after death.
Image: DW/Nurdin Amir
Trapped below the rubble
The tsunami carried sand, mud and debris inland. Roads were blocked and communications disrupted with other cities. Rescue efforts in remote areas around Palu was hampered by the extent of damage to infrastructure. More heavy equipment was also needed.
Image: Reuters/Antara Foto
'Liquified' earth
The heavy earthquake caused sand and silt saturated by water to take on liquid characteristics in a process known as liquefaction. The national rescue agency said that over 1,700 houses in the Palu area were wiped out by liquefied soil.
Image: Reuters/I. Puta
President Widodo pledges to rebuild
Authorities managed to open the local airport a day after the tsunami, allowing the Indonesian mlitary to start delivering aid. The country's President Joko Widodo (r) visited the island and pledged to rebuild the city. The Associated Press reported that Widodo has authorized international help. The EU and 10 countries including the US, Australia and China have offered assistance.
Image: Biro Pers Setpers
Looters risk life and limb
Indonesian media showed images of survivors entering the heavily damaged malls and supermarkets to loot supplies, despite the risk of building collapse. Some Palu residents started returning to their homes to salvage usable items. German news agency dpa reported on October 2 that police arrested 45 people in Palu for looting.
Image: Reuters/DRONE PILOT TEZAR KODONGAN
Queuing for fuel
The earthquake and tsunami knocked out power to the island and left many residents without access to clean water and medical supplies. Some of them descended on gas stations to pump out fuel by hand for their generators.
Image: DW/N. Amir
Foreign aid
President Widodo has opened the door to foreign aid organizations as 200,000 people remain in desperate need of food, water and medicine. International Search and Rescue (ISAR) Germany has sent personnel to assist authorities.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Heine
Search called off
On October 11, authorities called off the search for missing people, leaving the whereabouts of around 5,000 people a mystery. Experts believe that many of the missing are buried underground after entire villages were swallowed by "liquid earth." To commemorate the missing, parks and monuments are planned for Balaroa, Petobo and Jono Oge, considered the worst-hit areas of the island.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/Y. Wahil
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Aid needed to prevent stealing
Authorities are expecting the arrival of a special aircraft carrying 12,000 liters of fuel and trucks carrying food, which were en route with police escorts to prevent people from taking supplies.
In Palu, signs could be seen along the roads reading "We Need Food" and "We Need Support."
Indonesian police on Tuesday said they had arrested dozens of people for stealing, with survivors raiding shops for water, food and other necessary goods.
"On the first and second day clearly no shops were open. People were hungry. There were people in dire need. That's not a problem," said deputy national police chief Ari Dono Sukmanto.
"But after day two, the food supply started to come in, it only needed to be distributed," adding that, for the moment, people taking food would still be allowed.
However, the theft of other goods, such as electronics, would not be tolerated, Sukmanto said.
"If they take laptops, if they take money etc, we are going to act," Sukmanto said. "We have detained 35 people."
"There are ATMs. They are open. If people steal, we catch and investigate," he added.
