Quake death toll likely to climb
Thousands feared dead in Indonesia following tsunami
The Washington Post
JAKARTA — Just 34 minutes after the latest major earthquake to strike Indonesia, officials called off a tsunami warning. Aid agencies and others — still dealing with the aftermath of a devastating quake in August — breathed a sigh of relief.
What they didn’t know was, just about that same time, a three-metre wall of seawater was tearing through the city of Palu.
Amid the roar of onrushing sea and terrified cries for help, the tsunami tore homes off their foundations, snapped palm trees and dragged away victims — some preparing for a beach festival. Bodies were later left on sands or dragged out to sea.
More than 420 died in Palu alone, officials said Saturday as they began to take stock of the devastation and count the dead amid fears the tally could rise significantly from the 7.5 magnitude quake and the tsunami that churned over parts of Sulawesi, about 1,300 kilometres northwest of Jakarta.
Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla, in an interview with local media, said the death toll could reach into the thousands.
Among the dead was a young Indonesian air traffic controller who stayed at his post when the earthquake hit to ensure that a plane carrying hundreds of passengers took off safely. He jumped from the tower and died before a medical helicopter could reach him.
Elsewhere, rescue teams confronted washed out roads and bridges as they tried to reach another city, Donggala, and other areas completely cut off by the quake and tsunami.
Indonesian officials and aid agencies struggled with battered communications, destroyed roads and landslides. Even aid deliveries by sea have been a challenge since Palu’s port was badly damaged by the tsunami.
The second badly-hit city, Donggala, remained inaccessible after a main bridge collapsed.
“We’re now getting limited communications about the destruction in Palu city, but we have heard nothing from Donggala and this is extremely worrying,” the Red Cross said in a statement. “There are more than 300,000 people living there. This is already a tragedy, but it could get much worse.”