Death toll from latest Indonesia’s earthquake and tsunami reaches 380 (Updated)
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Media is reporting at least 380 deaths in the city of Palu alone, most of them from the quake, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the Indonesian disaster agency, said Saturday. He said the toll from the tsunami was unknown, but that preparations for a festival had been underway in Palu when the wave came and many people were unaccounted for.
Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said “many bodies” had been found along the shoreline of the Indonesian city of Palu on Sulawesi island.
A strong earthquake and a tsunami struck Sulawesi island in Indonesia on Friday, destroying thousands of buildings and leaving dozens of people dead, with many others missing.
Mr. Sutopo said officials had been unable to make contact with Donggala, a fishing community near Palu that was also reported to have been hit by the tsunami. Aid workers feared the death toll could rise substantially as communications were restored and information came in from Donggala and other places.
Dr. Komang Adi Sujendra, the director of Undata Hospital in Palu, said in a video message posted online that the area had no electricity, that phone and internet service had been disrupted and that road access was limited. He sought help from the public, saying that “we hope to build a field hospital immediately.”
