At least 400 killed as earthquake, tsunami hit Indonesia’s Sulawesi island
At least 400 killed as earthquake, tsunami hit Indonesia’s Sulawesi island
At least 400 people were killed after an earthquake and tsunami hit the city of Palu on Indonesia’s Sulawesi Island on Friday.
A tsunami up to two metres (six feet) high swept through Palu at dusk after the sleepy but growing tourist resort was rocked by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake.
“Bodies of victims were found in several places, because they were hit by the rubble of collapsing buildings or swept by tsunami ... but we are still collecting data,” Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman said on Saturday.
Doctor Komang Adi Sujendra told Metro TV that 30 people were killed and their bodies taken to his hospital, adding another 12 injured needed orthopaedic surgery.
The Palu area was hit by a lighter quake earlier on Friday, which destroyed some houses, killed one person and injured at least 10 in the fishing town of Donggala, closest to the epicentre, authorities said.
The US Geological Survey put the magnitude of the second quake at a strong 7.5, after first saying it was 7.7.
Tezar Kodongan, a resident of Palu who took one of the videos, told the TV station some of the city landmarks were broken. “There is no evacuation yet in the disaster area,” Kodongan added.
