Search icon

News

30th Sep 2018

The death toll in Indonesia is expected to reach the thousands following devastating earthquake

Rebecca O'Keeffe

indonesia

The death toll is now at 832.

The death toll from an earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia has reached 832.

Local authorities fear that this number will climb, as rescuers to reach remote communities.

The city of Palu was hit by six-metre high waves following a 7.5 magnitude earthquake on Friday.

Dozens of people were reported to be trapped in the rubble of two hotels and a shopping centre in the city.

With most of the confirmed fatalities from Palu, authorities are bracing for much worse as reports.

It is feared that outlying areas, in particular, Donggala, will have hundreds of fatalities.

The country’s Vice President Jusuf Kalla said the toll could rise into the thousands.

indonesia

Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited a housing complex flattened by the quake.

“I know there are many problems that need to be solved in a short time, including communications,” he said.

He then called for patience, informing the people that things will take time.

A spokesman for the national disaster mitigation agency, said:

“We haven’t received reports from the three other areas. Communication is still down, power is still out. We don’t know for sure what is the impact.”

“There are many areas where the search and rescue teams haven’t been able to reach,” he added.

There are a number of tourists among those missing.