In quake-hit Indonesia, a challenge to recover the bodies of the dead
TANJUNG, INDONESIA — The rescue team had done everything it could to locate the body of a man, who had been killed instantly when a massive earthquake collapsed his home Sunday night on the Indonesian island of Lombok.
They used hacksaws to cut a square into concrete wall. They used crowbars and dogs and a power drill. But by Tuesday afternoon, with the unmistakable stench of rotting flesh in the air, they were sweating and at their wits’ end. The body of 60-year-old Abdul Malik, one of at least 105 people killed in the 7.0-magnitude quake, would have to stay under the rubble for a third day.
“It’s taking far too long,” said 50-yearold Masini, the victim’s brother-in-law who watched more than a dozen helmeted emergency workers in orange jumpsuits drill into a thick layer of concrete.
The tragic scene underscored the challenges facing Indonesia’s government as it struggles to deal with its latest natural disaster. The quake shattered homes and lives across this vast archipelago, displacing more than 84,000 people, according to disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.
At least 4,600 foreign and Indonesian tourists also have been evacuated from three smaller islands off Lombok’s coast so far, Nugroho said. The islets are renowned for their crystal clear waters that draw snorkelers and divers from all over the world.
But with not enough boats to evacuate tourists quickly and too few planes to fly them out of Lombok, many visitors were forced to wait for hours or camp on beaches and the floor of the international airport in Mataram.