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.
Widespread damage caused by #PaluTsunami and captured by @planetlabs satellites. Imagery is very fresh, less than 5 hours old when I downloaded it. #Palu #Tsunami pic.twitter.com/Ju4gLr53qN
— Murray Ford (@mfordNZ) September 29, 2018
“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;
Detik-detik saat rumah-rumah bergerak dan roboh disebabkan proses likuifaksi dan amblesan akibat gempa 7,4 SR di Kota Palu. Permukaan tanah bergerak dan ambles sehingga semua bangunan hancur. Proses geologi yang sangat mengerikan. Diperkirakan korban terjebak di daerah ini. pic.twitter.com/Vf5McUaaSG
— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) September 30, 2018
Image
via RSS https://ift.tt/2zLelcV Tyler Durden