Death Toll from Indonesia Earthquake, Tsunami Now 1,234
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - 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, up from the previous count of 844.
A 7.5 magnitude earthquake on Friday triggered tsunami waves as high as six meters (20 feet), which swept ashore at the small city of Palu, on the west coast of Sulawesi.
Rescue teams have yet to reach many affected areas, leading to fears the death toll could rise again.
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”.
Four badly hit districts have a combined population of about 1.4 million.
Most of the confirmed dead have been in the small city of Palu, 1,500km (930 miles) northeast of Jakarta.
Among those killed in the area were 34 children at a Christian bible study camp, a Red Cross official said, South China Morning Post reported.
More than 50 of the dead were taken to a mass grave on the outskirts of Palu on Tuesday, while rescuers held out hope they could still save lives.
“We suspect there are still some survivors trapped inside,” the head of one rescue team, Agus Haryono, said at the collapsed seven-storey Hotel Roa Roa.
About 50 people were believed to have been caught inside the hotel when it was brought down. About 12 people have been recovered from the ruins, with one more body on Tuesday.
Three of the victims were recovered alive.
Nearly 60,000 people have been displaced and are in need of emergency help, while thousands have been streaming out of stricken areas.
Indonesia has said it would accept offers of international aid, having shunned outside help earlier this year when an earthquake struck the island of Lombok.
