The death toll from a magnitude 7.5 earthquake and tsunami that hit Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island yesterday climbed to more than 800, with casualties expected to reach into the thousands as authorities try to reach those trapped under collapsed buildings.
Local media quoted Indonesian Vice President Muhammad Jusuf Kalla as saying that he expected the toll to grow as he drew comparisons between the latest earthquake and the tsunami that hit Indonesia’s Aceh Province in 2004.
At least 832 people are confirmed dead and foreigners from Asia and Europe are among those reported missing, Indonesian Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.
Photo: Reuters
The Sulawesi government has declared a state of emergency for 14 days to improve rescue efforts, Nugroho said.
Many of the dead were found at beaches near the city of Palu, population about 350,000, where a festival was being held.
Many people on the beach were killed as they were not aware of the threat of a tsunami because there was no siren to warn them, Nugroho tweeted.
People from France, South Korea and Malaysia were missing, while foreigners who have been or are to be evacuated from the quake-hit areas include those from China, Germany, Singapore, Belgium, Vietnam and Thailand, Nugroho said.
An early-warning system that could have prevented some deaths in the tsunami has been stalled in the testing phase for years.
The system of seafloor sensors and fiber-optic cable has been in the works for about five years. Delays in finding US$100,000 to complete the project means it has not moved beyond the prototype phase.
Tsunami as high as 3m hit the coast on Friday after a massive earthquake that damaged thousands of buildings in Palu and caused a major power failure and cut communication, Nugroho said.
Information from the town of Donggala, population 270,000, and two others was limited because of communication problems.
State-run electricity company PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara was working to restore power in the island to help revive communication, Indonesian Minister of Communication and Information Technology Rudiantara said in a televised telephone interview with Kompas TV.
Electricity was needed to reactivate more than 500 mobile phone towers that were offline because of the power outage.
The ministry has deployed 30 satellite phones to rescue workers and would provide another 100, Nughoro said
A local airport had been partially opened for commercial flights yesterday, even as the priority was for emergency and rescue efforts, according to Indonesia’s air navigation provider.
More than 14,000 people were displaced from their homes and were being housed in emergency tents, Nugroho said.
There were also reports of the quake impacting towns outside of Palu and Donggala, which could signal more victims from the disaster, he said.
ENVOY THANKS TAIWAN
Indonesia’s envoy to Taiwan yesterday expressed his country’s gratitude for Taipei’s offer of help in rescue and disaster relief efforts.
“Thank you very much for the offer to help us,” Indonesian Economic and Trade Office to Taipei Representative Didi Sumedi said on the sidelines of an Indonesian cultural event in New Taipei City.
Taiwanese officials have told him that the government would help Indonesia if needed, he said, adding: “For the time being, Indonesia can handle the situation.”
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has expressed her sympathy and concern for Indonesia.
A factory owned by a Taiwanese businessman based in Indonesia was damaged in the earthquake, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) said, adding that no Taiwanese had been reported injured as of last night.
Additional reporting by AP and CNA
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