Dramatic Drone Footage Reveals Full Extent Of Indonesia Tsunami Devastation; Death Toll Climbs

Drone footage and shocking photos have emerged in the aftermath of the devastating 7.5 magnitude earthquake which struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, unleashing a 20-foot tsunami that has resulted in 1200 deaths and a brewing humanitarian crisis. 

The tsunami was triggered by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck along the coastal district of Donggala on Friday. Most of the dead were found in nearby Palu, a city of nearly 300,000 where an onlooker took a video of the seawater raging ashore just after 5 p.m., local time. –NPR

Local authorities, overwhelmed by the sheer number of bodies, have arranged for a mass burial site for he victims, according to Indonesian disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho. 

President Joko Widodo visited Palu on Sunday, inspecting the large-scale damage and consoling survivors. He also acknowledged problems with getting aid to the region and urged people to be patient.

Thousands of people began camping at the airport over the weekend, hoping to leave. But the airport has been operating at partial capacity since it reopened. And as they wait for a chance to fly out, people are also enduring heat of more the 90 degrees, with little to sustain them. –NPR

Releif agencies say that in addition to travel and communication issues, the response is limited by the fact that many staff members are currently deployed to Lombok – an island hundreds of miles to the south, where a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck last month. 

Food and clean water are in extremely low supply, and many people continue to loot the markets and other places in search of food,” said Radika Pinto, area manager for World Vision. “Access and security are making it challenging to start distributing relief supplies.”

Photos from the New York Times and others show extensive damage and desperate conditions; 

CreditJewel Samad/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Rescuers try to free a 15-year-old from her damaged house.CreditArimacs Wilander/Associated Press

Displaced families resting in a tent after their homes were damaged in Donggala.CreditAdam Dean for The New York Times
Image
A search and rescue team evacuating a body recovered in Talise Beach.CreditAntara Foto/Reuters
Family members carrying the body of a relative in Palu on Sunday.CreditBay Ismoyo/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Medical team members helping patients outside a Palu hospital.CreditMuhammad Rifki/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Victims taking goods, including much-needed liquids, from a warehouse in Palu.CreditAntara Foto/Reuters
In Palu, where a tsunami swept away cars and houses.CreditCarl Court/Getty Images
Rescuers carrying the body of a victim during a mass burial in Palu.CreditMast Irham/EPA, via Shutterstock
A Palu mosque destroyed in the earthquake.CreditEPA, via Shutterstock
Muhammad Rifki/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Survivors being treated outside a hospital.CreditAdam Dean for The New York Times

 

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