Hanoi (VNA) – The death toll from earthquakes and tsunami in CentralSulawesi province of Indonesia climbed to 1,203 and the figure is expected torise, said the Indonesian Government on October 1.
Meanwhile,authorised agencies said about 1,200 convicts are on the run from threedifferent detention facilities on Sulawesi island.
Ministryof Justice official Sri Puguh Utami said the prisoners escaped two overcapacityfacilities in Palu city and Donggala after the massive quake struck off theareas.
TheDonggala jail was set on fire and all 343 inmates were now roaming free, sheadded. Some of the convicts were jailedfor corruption and narcotics offences, while five people convicted ofterror-related crimes had been moved from the prison just days before thedisaster.
Sulawesiwas ravaged by two quakes measuring 6.1 and 7.5 on the Richter scale onSeptember 28. A tsunami happened after the second hit the area in the afternoonof the same day.
TheIndonesian Government has called for support of international community toovercome consequences of the natural disaster on Sulawesi.
Ina statement, Tom Lembong, head of the Indonesian investment service agency(BKPM), said Indonesian President Joko Widodo has agreed to accept internationalhelp for disaster-response. Dozens of aid agencies and non-governmental organisationslined up to provide live-saving assistance.
Earlier,many nations have already offered to help. The European Union announced urgentaid worth 1.5 million EUR (about 1.74 million USD) for Indonesia.
TheRoK Foreign Ministry on September 30 committed 1 million USD to help victimsand reconstruction work in Indonesia.
ChineseParty General Secretary and President Xi Jinping affirmed China is willing toprovide support for Indonesia.
TheAustralian government also vowed to help Indonesia recover after the earthquakeand tsunami.
Indonesianauthorities are working to bring food, aid and necessities to Sulawesi, whilerescuers race against time to find victims trapped inside the debris.-VNA