Live
Audio Only
A major earthquake followed by a tsunami hit the city of Palu on Indonesia's Sulawesi island on Friday. Doctor Komang Adi Sujendra told Metro TV that at least 30 people were killed and another 12 were injured, who were brought to the hospital. Authorities have yet to give an official death toll.
RELATED:
Quake Strikes Off Indonesia, Bringing Down 'Many Buildings'
Strong aftershocks continued to hit the coastal city Saturday and waves, triggered by a 7.5-magnitude earthquake, as high as two meters swept the scenic tourist town.
Amateur footage, displayed by local media and social media, showed the water rise and crashed buildings, cars and shipping containers as well as flooded a mosque in the city.
“Bodies of victims were found in several places, because they were hit by the rubble of collapsing buildings or swept away by the tsunami ... but we are still collecting data,” Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman, said Saturday.
Rescue efforts have faced difficulties as the quake and tsunami caused power outages and cut communication. The city airport was closed after the air traffic control tower and runway were damaged during the quake. However, authorities stated that military forces had started relief aid from the capital Jakarta.
“We hope the airport can be reopened soon for flights carrying disaster relief and aid,” Yohannes Sirait of AirNav, the air traffic management agency, said.
The 7.5-magnitude earthquake prompted a tsunami alert but it was lifted within the hour. And an earlier quake destroyed some houses, killing one person and injuring at least 10 in Donggala, authorities said.
Indonesia is part of the dreaded Ring of Fire, that stretches a total of 25,000 miles from New Zealand to the tip of South America in a horseshoe shape
Newsletter
