HUNDREDS DEAD IN TSUNAMI DISASTER
Many more injured or missing after 20ft waves blitz Indonesia
THE death toll from the tsunami in Indonesia soared past 400 last night, as harrowing images revealed the devastation left in its wake.
Stunned residents struggled to make their way through debris-strewn streets, while victims’ bodies were laid out side-by-side on a battered beach.
One heartbreaking photograph showed a grief-stricken man carrying a child’s lifeless body.
Thousands of homes were flattened, along with hospitals, shopping malls, hotels and mosques when 20ft-high waves smashed ashore.
A bridge was also washed away by the tsunami – which raced in at a speed of almost 500mph, said the nation’s disaster agency.
The number of people swept to their deaths was last night put at 420. But with at least 540 seriously injured and a desperate search continuing for hundreds still missing on the isle of Sulawesi, that figure is expected to be far higher.
Screaming locals and tourists ran for their lives when the tsunami, triggered by a 7.5-magnitude earthquake, hit the city of Palu on Friday. The terrifying moment it struck was filmed by smartphone users, who shared the footage online.
Some people survived by climbing trees, said the disaster agency, adding: “The tsunami dragged along cars, logs and houses. It hit everything on land. Many bodies were found along the shore.”
Other video emerging from the disaster zone showed medics battling to treat the injured in makeshift medical tents outside a hospital. The missing include at least 76 guests at a flattened eight-storey hotel in Palu, and hundreds of people who were rehearsing for a festival at a sports stadium there when it collapsed.
Rescue efforts by emergency crews were last night being hampered by a major power cut and blocked roads.
Shelters were set up for people whose homes were destroyed. The meteorology and geophysics agency said: “The situation Victims of tsunami laid side-by-side on debris-covered beach is chaotic. People are running round on the streets and buildings have collapsed. Even a ship was washed ashore.” Palu’s airport was shut for commercial flights until October 4 because of damage to its runway and control tower. Military cargo planes bringing relief aid to survivors have begun arriving from the capital Jakarta. President Joko Widodo will visit evacuation centres today at Palu, home to 350,000 people. The crisis is expected to be far worse in the nearby fishing port of Donggala, which was closer to the epicentre, but communications remain cut off. Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and is regularly hit by earthquakes. Its authorities have been criticised for their response when the current disaster was imminent. A tsunami warning was issued, but lifted within the hour. Officials claimed that the alert was in place when the waves struck. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told of his great sadness at “the terrible loss of life”, adding: “My thoughts are with the victims, their families and the emergency services fighting to save lives.”