Indonesia Earthquake and Tsunami: At Least 1,200 Killed and Death Toll Rises (Shocking Before and After Photos)
The devastating 7.5 magnitude earthquake and tsunami hit Indonesia island of Sulawesi killing at least 1,234 and the death toll is expected to rise sharply.
This is a developing story, follow Nexter.org for the updates.
Source: AP
UPDATED Sep.2:
- The Indonesian government on Tuesday said the death toll from a devastating quake-tsunami on the island of Sulawesi had risen to 1,234 people, including 34 children who were attending a Christian Bible camp.
- Reports indicate that the country’s early detection warning systems were not working before the tsunami hit.Officials confirmed to the BBC that a network of more than 20 floating detection units connected to underwater sensors which transmit advance tsunami warnings to the Indonesian meteorology and geophysics agency had either been damaged or stolen. The system had not worked since 2012.
Source: Bay Ismoyo/AFP/Getty Images
- The Red Cross said the situation was “nightmarish” and reports from its workers venturing into one cut-off area, Donggala, a region of 300,000 people north of Palu and close to the epicentre, indicated it had been hit “extremely hard”.
- ABC News confirmed that some victims were found “entombed” in mud, most of the casualties were caused by the quake and the tsunami, though hundreds of others were buried alive under soil that had loosened and collapsed after the earthquake in a process known as liquefaction.
Take a look at before and after photos taken from the sky show the sheer destruction caused by the natural disasters that struck Indonesia’s Sulawesi island on September 28:
Source: Satellite imagery from Planet
Source: Satellite imagery from Planet
Source: Satellite imagery from Planet
What we know so far
Rescuers continue searching for victims and survivals of Indonesia most destructive earthquake and tsunami since 2009 who can be still trapped under rubble two days after the disaster.
Source: Antara Foto/Muhammad Adimaja/ via REUTERS
Three days after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake and 3-meter-high (10 foot) waves crashed onto the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, the provincial capital of Palu, a city of 350,000, is in ruins.
The confirmed death toll from the earthquake and tsunami has risen to 844, and the vice-president, Jusuf Kalla, has warned it could reach into the thousands.
Source: Muhammmad Rifki/AFP/Getty Images
More than 150 aftershocks followed the 7.4 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami which hit Sulawesi on Friday, causing thousands of homes, hotels, shopping malls and several mosques to collapse.
This is the moment Tsunami waves struck Indonesia. Thousands are feared dead
Read more about the devastating tsunami here: https://t.co/91XqHzZQ9l pic.twitter.com/0a7omY8hCw
— Sky News (@SkyNews) September 30, 2018
The Red Cross estimates that more than 1.6 million people have been affected by the earthquake and tsunami which it described as a tragedy that “could get much worse”.
In Palu, authorities are preparing a large mass grave for the burial of the bodies which have been piling up over the weekend. The grave, which will be 10 meters by 100 meters, is being dug for 300 victims and can be enlarged if needed. According to Sutopo, this is a temporary measure to stop diseases from spreading.
In Poso, a four-hour drive from Palu, supplies are running out. State-owned petrol stations have closed as they have run dry.
People are queuing up at roadside stalls, buying petrol in bottles to take into the affected area and to find missing loved ones. Supermarkets have limited food left and it is difficult to find bottled water.
Indonesian president Mr Widodo has agreed to accept international help for disaster response and relief, Thomas Lembong, the head of the Indonesian investment board said on Twitter on Monday.
MORE HOT NEWS
- Gumshoe, Leggings from Plastic Bottles and Other Innovations That Help Save the Earth!
- 91 Dead as Magnitude 7 Earthquake Hit Indonesian Tourist Island and Triggers Tsunami + Read 5 Tips on How to Survive Tsunami (PHOTOS)
- At Least 11 Dead in ISIS-Inspired Suicide Bombers Attack in Indonesia, Paris Knife Attack + 2 More Terrible Incidents of the Weekend
