Rescuers struggle to reach victims of Indonesia tsunami
September 30, 2018
Rescuers are struggling to reach victims in several large coastal towns in Indonesia that were hit by an
earthquake and tsunami. Thousands are feared dead.
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Survivors were heard calling for help from the destroyed Roa-Roa Hotel in Indonesia's resort town of Palu, following a strong earthquake and a tsunamithat hit the island of Sulawesi.
Officials estimate that up to 50 people could be trapped below the crumbled eight-story building, with rescuers managing to evacuate at least one woman on Sunday.
"We are trying our best," said the head of the national search and rescue team, Muhammad Syaugi, earlier in the day. "Heavy equipment is on the way."
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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The Indonesian government was struggling to mount a response to the destruction caused by the 7.5 magnitude earthquake which triggered the tsunami on Friday. The Southeast Asian country on Monday called for international help to deal with the aftermath.
President Joko Widodo "authorized us to accept international help for urgent disaster-response" the government's head of investment Tom Lembong said.
At least 832 people lost their lives, the country's disaster agency said on Sunday, but the government fears that the actual death toll might be in the thousands. Local hospitals are overwhelmed.
"We need all the help we can get," said Komang Adi Sujendra, director of the state-run Undata hospital in Palu. "We need field hospitals, medical workers, medicines and blankets."
Rescue teams were still guessing at the scale of destruction outside the Sulawesi capital Palu, especially in nearby Donggala, a city of 300,000 people that remained cut off from communications. The regencies of Sigi and Parigi Moutong were also yet to be assessed.
"The death toll is believed to be still increasing since many bodies were still under the wreckage, while many have not been reached," said disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.
"We haven't received reports from the three other areas," Nugroho added. "Communication is still down, power is still out."
"Today we will start the mass burial of victims, to avoid the spread of disease."
Agency chief Willem Rampangilei said the mass grave it is digging in the city of Palu will be 10 by 100 meters (33 feet by 330 feet) in size and can be expanded if needed. It will initially hold at least 300 bodies.
Widodo arrives on the island
Palu's Mutiara airport reopened late on Saturday, allowing military cargo planes to deliver relief supplies. Authorities are accepting humanitarian flights and limited commercial flights, and only those with pilots who are able to land without relying on guidance from the ground.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited the island on Sunday.
"I know there are many problems that need to be solved in a short time, including communications," he said, pledging to rebuild Palu.
He said more heavy machinery was being deployed to help emergency workers continue recovering victims on Monday.
With food and drinking water scarce, soldiers began distributing rations to survivors. Media showed people looting from the heavily damaged malls and stores, with others returning to their homes in an attempt to salvage any remains.
The latest tsunami prompted memories of the catastrophic tsunami in December 2004, which was caused by a 9.1 magnitude earthquake off Sumatra. The tsunami killed 168,000 people in Indonesia and 52,000 more in other countries in the region.