Torrential rains hamper hunt for Indonesia quake survivors
Mamuju, Indonesia - Torrential monsoon rains hampered the hunt on Sunday for anyone still buried alive under buildings flattened by a powerful earthquake on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, after the huge tremor killed at least 77 and left thousands homeless.
Excavators and cranes were deployed across the devastated seaside city of Mamuju, where buildings were reduced to a tangled mass of twisted metal and chunks of concrete, including a hospital and the regional governor’s office.
It was unclear how many people - dead or alive - could still be under mountains of debris in the aftermath of Friday’s 6.2-magnitude quake.
“The rain poses risks because damaged buildings could collapse if it gets too heavy...and aftershocks could move them too,” said rescuer Octavianto.
Excavating debris too fast with heavy equipment could crush and kill any buried survivors, he added.
“All the victims we’ve found so far were dead,” said Octavianto (37), who like many Indonesians goes by one name.
“It is most likely any more victims are already dead if 24 hours has passed,” he added.
Scores of rescuers combed through the destruction, filling body bags with corpses, while police on Sunday deployed a K-9 unit of sniffer dogs to help in the search at a badly damaged hospital.
“We also use our own sense of smell to find possible victims,” said rescuer Kustang Firman at the hospital scene.
“If there’s a strong scent (of decay), we'll focus on that spot.”
Most victims were found in Mamuju, but some were also recovered south of the city in West Sulawesi province.
Friday’s tremor triggered panic among residents of the island, which was hit by a 2018 quake-tsunami disaster that killed thousands.
“We heard a roaring sound and the house started shaking,” said survivor Jumardi (50) from a shelter where he and six family members took refuge. “All I had in my mind was that I would die... Everyone was panicking.”
Authorities have not given a figure for how many survivors have been rescued.
A pair of young sisters plucked from under the mass of concrete and other debris were treated in hospital.
Meanwhile, corpses were recovered from under a collapsed hospital, while five members of a family of eight were found dead in the crumpled remains of their home. Doctors treated patients with broken limbs and other injuries at a makeshift medical centre, set up outside the only hospital in Mamuju that survived relatively intact.
Wawan, who was buried under his house until neighbours pulled him to freedom, initially didn't want to go into a hospital to treat his broken foot, fearing another quake.
“I was traumatised,” the 27 year old said. “But people convinced me that the doctors were treating patients outside the building, so I agreed to go.”
Thousands left homeless by the quake took to makeshift shelters and they said they were running low on food, blankets and other aid.