Quake survivors clamour to flee heavily struck city
At least 844 dead following earthquake, tsunami in Indonesia
PALU, Indonesia — As officials began burying hundreds of dead in a mass grave Monday, thousands of survivors of a devastating earthquake and tsunami converged on the airport of this heavily damaged Indonesian city and clamoured to leave, saying there was little to eat and their homes were unsafe.
The confirmed death toll of 844, mostly from the city of Palu, is expected to rise as authorities reach areas that were cut off by the disaster. The magnitude-7.5 earthquake struck at dusk Friday and generated a tsunami said to have been as high as six metres in places.
Search-and-rescue teams combed destroyed homes and buildings, including a collapsed eight-storey hotel, for any trapped survivors, but they needed more heavy equipment to clear the rubble.
Many people were believed trapped under shattered houses in Palu’s Balaroa neighbourhood, where the earthquake caused the ground to heave up and down violently, said disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.
In the city’s Petobo section, the quake caused loose, wet soil to liquefy, creating a thick, heavy mud that caused massive damage. “In Petobo, it is estimated that there are still hundreds of victims buried in mud,” Nugroho said.
Residents who found loved ones — alive and dead — over the weekend expressed frustration that it took rescue teams until Monday to reach Petobo.
Desperation was evident across Palu, a city of more than 380,000 people on the island of Sulawesi.
About 3,000 residents flocked to its airport, trying to board military aircraft or one of the few commercial flights, local TV reported. Video showed some of them screaming in anger because they were not able to get on a departing military plane.
“We have not eaten for three days!” one woman yelled. “We just want to be safe!”
Nearly 50,000 people have been displaced from their homes in Palu alone, Nugroho said, and hospitals were overwhelmed.
The Indonesian air force confirmed that a Hercules aircraft carrying an unspecified number of survivors was able to leave Palu for South Sulawesi’s capital of Makassar.
Indonesian President Joko (Jokowi) Widodo authorized the acceptance of international help, Nugroho said, adding that generators, heavy equipment and tents were among the most-needed items. The European Union and 10 countries have offered assistance, including the United States, Australia and China, he said.
“We will send food today, as much as possible with several aircraft,” Widodo told reporters in the capital, Jakarta, adding that a supply of fuel was also set to arrive.
Hundreds of people were lined up for fuel at gas stations across Palu, with waiting cars snarling traffic amid neighbourhoods with fences painted with the red and white colours of the Indonesian flag.
Groups of children, some smiling but others with anxious expressions, stood in the middle of roads holding boxes for cash donations. Signs were displayed along roads, saying “We need food” and “We need support.” Another asked about the whereabouts of their local political leader.
Three days after the powerful waves struck, the coastline at Palu remained strewn with rubble and a few brightly coloured cargo containers poking out of the water. Those buildings that still stood near the water were ruined shells.
A heavily damaged mosque was half submerged, and a shopping mall was reduced to a crumpled hulk. A large bridge with yellow arches collapsed.
The city is built around a narrow bay that apparently magnified the force of the tsunami as the waves raced into the tight inlet. Nugroho said water was reported as high as six metres in places.