Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 1 october 2018

Over 800 dead in Indonesia quake and tsunami; toll may rise

By NINIEK KARMINI Looters hit a badly dam-
Associated Press aged shopping mall, ap-
PALU, Indonesia (AP) — parently unconcerned for
Rescuers struggled Sunday their safety amid ongoing
to reach victims in several aftershocks and the struc-
large coastal towns in In- ture's questionable stability.
donesia that were hit by an In one devastated area in
earthquake and tsunami, Palu, residents said dozens
and authorities feared that of people could still be bur-
the toll of more than 800 ied in their homes.
confirmed dead would rise. "The ground rose up like
With the area largely cut a spine and suddenly
off by damaged roads and fell. Many people were
downed communications trapped and buried under
lines, military and commer- collapsed houses. I could
cial aircraft were delivering do nothing to help," resi-
some aid and supplies to dent Nur Indah said, crying.
the hard-hit city of Palu on "In the evening, some of
the island of Sulawesi, and them turned on their cell-
others in the region. phones just to give a sign
But there was a desperate that they were there. But
need for heavy equipment the lights were off later and
to reach possible survivors the next day."
buried in collapsed build- With hundreds injured,
ings, including an eight-sto- earthquake-damaged hos-
ry hotel in Palu where voic- pitals were overwhelmed.
es were heard in the rub- Nugroho said 61 foreigners
ble. A 25-year-old woman were in Palu at the time of
was found alive during the People survey the damage of a shopping mall following earthquakes and tsunami in Palu, Central the disaster. Most were ac-
evening in the ruins of the Sulawesi, Indonesia, Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018. counted for, but one South
Roa-Roa Hotel, according Associated Press Korean was believed to be
to the National Search and trapped in the Roa-Roa
Rescue Agency, which re- The cries from beneath the during part of the effort to dozen countries. More re- Hotel, while three others
leased photos of the her ly- Roa-Roa Hotel, which ap- free her, but rescuers kept cently, a powerful quake from France and one from
ing on a stretcher covered peared to have toppled talking to her to try to keep on the island of Lombok Malaysia were missing. The
in a blanket. over with its walls splintered her awake. Others offered killed 505 people in August. survivors were to be evacu-
At least 832 people were like pickup sticks, went si- her food and water. In Donggala, the site clos- ated to the Sulawesi city
confirmed killed by the lent by Sunday afternoon. Indonesian President Joko est to the epicenter of of Makassar in the island's
quake and tsunami that Officials had estimated "Jokowi" Widodo toured Friday's earthquake, aer- far south. Communications
struck Friday evening, In- about 50 people could be Palu on Sunday and said ial footage on Metro TV with the area were difficult
donesia's disaster agency inside. rescuers were having dif- showed the sugary blond because power and tele-
said, with nearly all of those "We are trying our best. ficulty reaching victims sands of beaches swept communications were cut,
from Palu. The regencies of Time is so important here to because of a shortage of out to sea, along with some hampering rescue efforts.
Donggala, Sigi and Parigi save people," said Muham- heavy equipment. buildings. Some buildings Most people have slept
Moutong — with a com- mad Syaugi, head of the "There are many challeng- in the town were severely outdoors, fearing strong af-
bined population of 1.2 mil- national search and rescue es," Jokowi said. "We have damaged, with plywood tershocks.
lion — had yet to be fully team. "Heavy equipment is to do many things soon, walls shredded and chunks Indonesia is a vast archipel-
assessed. on the way." but conditions do not allow of concrete scattered on ago of more than 17,000 is-
"The death toll is believed Metro TV showed about a us to do so." the pavement. Much of lands that span a distance
to be still increasing, since dozen rescuers in orange He said authorities were the damage, however, ap- that would stretch from
many bodies were still un- jumpsuits climbing over deploying more heavy peared limited to the wa- New York to London. It is
der the wreckage, while debris with a stretcher car- machinery so emergency terfront. home to 260 million people.
many have not been rying the body of a victim workers can help recover Palu, which has more than Roads and infrastructure
reached," said disaster from the modest business more victims Monday. 380,000 people, was strewn are poor in many areas,
agency spokesman Sutopo hotel. The stricken areas also with debris from the earth- making access difficult in
Purwo Nugroho. Other rescuers worked needed medical supplies, quake and tsunami. A the best of conditions.
Bodies covered in blue to free a 15-year-old girl fuel, fresh water and ex- heavily damaged mosque The disaster agency has
and yellow tarps lined the trapped under concrete perts. was half submerged and said that essential aircraft
streets of Palu, and officials in her house in Palu after It was the latest natural a shopping mall was re- can land at Palu's airport,
said they were digging a it collapsed on her family disaster to hit Indonesia, duced to a crumpled hulk. though AirNav, which
mass grave for at least 300 during the magnitude 7.5 which is frequently struck A large bridge with yellow oversees aircraft naviga-
of the dead. earthquake that spawned by earthquakes, volcanic arches had collapsed. tion, said the runway was
It was not immediately a tsunami. eruptions and tsunamis be- The city is built around a cracked and the control
known when the burial Unable to move her legs cause of its location on the narrow bay that appar- tower damaged.
would take place, but "this under the rubble, Nurul Is- "Ring of Fire," an arc of vol- ently magnified the force Sulawesi has a history of
must be done as soon as tikharah was trapped be- canoes and fault lines in the of the tsunami as the religious tensions between
possible for health and re- side her dead mother and Pacific Basin. In December waves raced into the tight Muslims and Christians, with
ligious reasons," said Willem niece. Rescuers also tried 2004, a massive magnitude inlet. Nugroho, the disaster violent riots erupting in the
Rampangilei, head of the to control water from a 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra agency spokesman, said town of Poso, not far from
National Disaster Mitigation leaking pipe, fearing she island in western Indonesia waves were reported as Palu, two decades ago. In-
Agency. Most of Palu's resi- would drown. triggered a tsunami that high as 6 meters (20 feet) in donesia is the world's most
dents are Muslim. Istikharah was unconscious killed 230,000 people in a some places. populous Muslim country.q