Indonesia: Central Sulawesi to start reconstruction after disasters

Jakarta (VNA) - The Indonesian Government has decided to stop searching victims of the deadly earthquakes and tsunami in Central Sulawesi from October 11.

According to spokesman of the country’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, as of 1:00 pm of October 9, the death toll climbed to 2,010, while 10,679 people were injured and 671 others are still missing.

The earthquakes and tsunami damaged a total of 67,310 houses, and 82,775 people have to be evacuated.

Sutopo stressed that stopping the search for victims does not mean stopping the relief activities.

The Indonesian authorities have determined to focus on evacuating, arranging residence and and providing treatment for injured victims.

Thanks to efforts to deploy emergency relief activities, social conditions in Sulawesi have been improved, with the electricity and telecommunication systems have been mostly restored.

As many as 14 hospitals are operating, while a floating and a field hospital were opened in Pantoloan.

Many countries and international organisations have sent disaster response experts, doctors and goods to support Indonesia.

Central Sulawesi will be moved from emergency response to reconstruction. It is expected to take two years to implement the reconstruction plans here.

Indonesia is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the "Ring of Fire", an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.

A series of earthquakes in July and August killed nearly 500 people on the holiday island of Lombok, hundreds of kilometres southwest of Sulawesi.

In December 2004, a massive 9.1-magnitude earthquake off the northern Indonesian island of Sumatra triggered a tsunami across the Indian Ocean countries, killing 220,000 people in 13 countries, including more than 168,000 in Indonesia.–VNA