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The confirmed death toll from the earthquake and tsunami that struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi has risen to 832, and the vice-president, Jusuf Kalla, has warned it could reach into the thousands.
More than 150 aftershocks followed the 7.4 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami which hit Sulawesi on Friday, causing thousands of homes, hotels, shopping malls and several mosques to collapse.
So far, 821 of the deaths were in the city of Palu, with 11 casualties recorded in Donggala, the worst-hit area which is home to 300,000 people. Hundreds of bodies have been found on beaches and authorities fear many may have been washed out to sea.
Read the full report:
What we know so far
What we learned from the press conference:
- A 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit the island of Sulawesi on Friday morning, causing a tsunami and around 170 aftershocks. It is the most devastating earthquake to hit Indonesia since 2004.
- The area devastated by the disaster is bigger than originally thought. The tsunami wave was as high as six metres in some places.
- The death toll is currently at 832 and expected to rise sharply. 821 of the deaths occurred in the city of Palu. There are still only 11 casualties recorded in the city of Donggala, one of the worst hit areas
- Bodies are now being buried in mass graves once they have been identified.
- The city of Palu has been devastated. There is no electricity and drinking water is in short supply after the pipes were damaged. Fuel is also running low.
- A search and rescue team are working to retrieve 50 people trapped in the ruins of the Roa Roa hotel in Palu. Voices have been heard screaming from the wreck of the 8-storey building.
- Rescue operations are hindered by the lack of heavy equipment needed to shift the rubble. Most search and rescue of victims is being done by hand.
- Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has arrived in Palu and is inspecting the damage
Updated
The affected area is bigger than originally thought. Only 11 deaths have been reported so far from Donggala, the worst hit area, so casualties are expected to rise sharply when rescue teams gain access
Updated
Supoto’s press conference has now ended. We will have full details here imminently.
The number of earthquake and tsunami victims in Palu City continued to increase, said Supoto. There are currently 261 people at Bhayangkara Hospital in Palu and getting higher by the hour.
Yesterday 87 bodies were identified by the National Police DVI Team. The identification process continues
The evacuation of the victims buried in the earthquake at the Roa-Roa Hotel in Palu City continues to be carried out by a search and rescue team, coordinated by the disaster agency.
“There are 50 people under the rubble of the building. Heavy equipment is needed for evacuation,” said Sutopo
Sutopo confirmed that the tsunami waves had been as high as six metres in some places
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There is no electricity in the area as five power stations have been damaged and the pipe network for clean drinking water has also been severely damaged. There is also very limited access to fuel for vehicles.
Bodies are now being buried in mass graves, according to Sutopo.
“Many victims were buried en masse due to health considerations. And victims who died were buried after being identified through DVI, face recognition, fingerprints,” he said.
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Sutopo said access to Donggala, as well as the towns of Sigi and Boutong, is still limited and there are no comprehensive reports from those areas.
He said: “The death is believed to be still increasing since many bodies were still under the wreckage while many have not able to be reached.”
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Sutopo said access to heavy equipment needed to help the rescue efforts is still limited and there are many obstacles in the evacuation process.
During the earthquake there were 61 foreign nationals in the city of Palu. Three French people, one Malaysian and one South Korean are currently missing
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Sutopo has confirmed that 832 people have been killed in the Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami, with the number expected to rise.
821 died in Palu and 11 people have been confirmed dead in Donggala. 540 people were seriously injured and hospitalised.
Updated
While we wait for a translation of Supoto’s press conference, here are some images from Palu which show the extent of the devastation
The press conference is about to kick off, with Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesperson for the disaster agency (BNBP) about to address journalists
One of the first casualties of the earthquake, 21-year-old Anthonius Gunawan Agung, is being hailed as a hero after he stayed in the air traffic control tower as the earthquake hit, to make sure that a flight to Bali could take off safely.
“When the earthquake occurred, Agung had cleared Batik Air for takeoff. He waited until the aircraft was safely in the air before leaving his air traffic controller cabin,” Yohanes Sirait, a spokesman for state-owned flight navigation service AirNav Indonesia, said in a statement on Saturday.
Agung then jumped from the control tower as it was collapsing, but he did not survive.
Telah wafat saat menjalankan tugasnya sebagai personel layanan navigasi penerbangan, Saudara Anthonius Gunawan Agung, Air Traffic Controller (ATC) AirNav Indonesia Cabang Palu pada Sabtu (29/09).#RIPAgung #DoaUntukSulteng#PrayforDonggala #PrayforPalu pic.twitter.com/6Wpobp3R7m
— AirNav Indonesia (@AirNav_Official) September 29, 2018
This is the current state of the airport in Palu
This is the airport in Palu pic by @a_mibali pic.twitter.com/LeGIlEK6ky
— James Massola (@jamesmassola) September 30, 2018
This footage shows the moment that the first towering wall of water hit coast of Palu city, enveloping everything in its path. A second wave, which hit the city moments later, can be seen in the background.
Bodies of those killed by the tsunami have been found on the shores of local beaches, according to Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesperson for the disaster agency.
“We have found corpses from the earthquake as well as bodies swept up by the tsunami,” Sutopo said in a televised interview on Saturday.
There are still no casualty figures from the city of Donggala, which is home to 300,000 people and was the worst hit area.
More than half of the 560 inmates in Palu’s prison escaped after walls collapsed during Friday’s quake, the Indonesian news agency Antara reported.
“It was very hard for the guards to stop the inmates from running away as they were so panicked and had to save themselves too,” warden Adhi Yan Ricoh said.
The Indonesian Government has also reportedly given the people in Palu permission to loot food and water from shops
In Palu, search and rescue teams are working to pull survivors from collapsed homes and shopping malls. Around 60 of people are feared trapped in the ruins of the 80-room Roa Roa hotel, with voices heard calling from the rubble.
By Sunday morning, rescuers had pulled out six people alive but dozens are still thought to be inside.
Evakuasi korban tertimbun gempa di Hotel Roa-Roa Kota Pqluterus dilakukan Tim SAR Gabungan dikoordinir Basarnas. Diperkiran terdapat 50 orang di bawah reruntuhan bangunan. Alat berat diperlukan untuk evakuasi. pic.twitter.com/LGWwp3OEhE
— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) September 30, 2018
Thousands are feared dead after a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. It triggered a deadly tsunami off the coast of the city of Palu, which is home to 350,000 people.
The earthquake and subsequent tsunami caused thousands of buildings to collapse, including a hotel, a shopping mall and several mosques. The current death toll is 420, but rescue teams are currently scrabbling to reach the area and it is expected to rise into the thousands. It is feared the tsunami may have washed many of those on the coast out to sea.
Read our main story here.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesperson for the disaster agency (BNBP), is due to address a press conference at 1pm Jakarta time, providing information on the latest death toll and extent of the damage so far. Stay tuned for updates.
