Search and rescue personnel work at a collapsed site in Palu (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) Jakarta (VNA) – The earthquakesand subsequent tsunami that hit Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi have so far killed1,407 people, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported onOctober 3.
According to BNPB spokespersonSutopo Purwo Nugroho, the death toll in Palu alone reached 1,177 people, inDonggala 153 people, Sigi 65 people, and Parigi Moutong 12 people.
There are 2,549 seriously injuredpeople being treated in hospitals, 133 people unaccounted for, and over 65,000houses severely damaged.
Of the 121 foreigners affected bythe disaster, one remains missing while the rest have been confirmed as safe.
The Indonesian Government has setup 141 refugee camps accommodating 70,821 people and is working to speed up therecovery progress.
The official said as of September28, when a 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit Palu, 362 aftershocks have occurred, 12of which recorded strong magnitudes.
To date, 29 countries, includingSingapore, the Republic of Korea, the UK, and Japan, as well as fourinternational organisations, have offered their support for Indonesia.
Also on October 3, President JokoWidodo made a second visit to the earthquake-devastated Sulawesi island.
On October 2, Indonesian warshipKRI Makassar-590 brought 1,273 military and police personnel, 360 volunteers,and other vehicles to Palau to aid the search and rescue efforts.
Indonesia’s Central Sulawesiprovince was ravaged by two quakes measuring 6.1 and 7.5 on the Richter scaleon September 28. A 6m tsunami hit the shore after the second quake struck thearea in the afternoon of the same day, destroying thousands of houses and infrastructure.As many as 48,000 people have been evacuated.
Indonesia is prone to earthquakesas it sits in a vulnerable area called the Pacific Ring of Fire.–VNA
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