Jakarta: The death toll in quake and Tsunami-hit Indonesia rose to 832 on Sunday. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said, many people were reported trapped in the rubble of buildings brought down in the 7.5-magnitude earthquake which struck on Friday and triggered Tsunami waves as high as 20 feet.
Almost all the deaths had been recorded in Palu, the city of 3 lakh 50,000 on Sulawesi island, which was hit by the Tsunami. The agency said, it assessed the affected area to be bigger than initially thought.
In an interview with local media, Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla said, the number of those killed could reach well into thousands as hundreds have been badly injured. He said, the military is being called in to the region to help search-and-rescue teams get to victims and find bodies.
Some government planes carrying relief supplies managed to land at the main airport in Palu, although officials said it would likely remain closed to commercial flights for days.
President Joko Widodo visited Palu today, urging a non-stop recovery effort following the disaster. He told troops deployed in Sulawesi island to be ready to work day and night and to finish everything related to the evacuation.
Indonesia is one of the most disaster-prone nations on earth. It lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where tectonic plates collide and many of the world’s volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur.
In 2004, a tsunami triggered by an earthquake off the island of Sumatra had killed over 2 lakh people across the Indian Ocean, including more than 1 lakh in Indonesia.
Also Read: Indonesia: Nearly 400 People Killed In Earthquake, Tsunami
Ms Kalinga