The death toll from the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia has reached 844, with another 50,000 people displaced by the disaster, according to Indonesia’s disaster agency.
Most of the dead were from the city of Palu, but much is still unknown about other coastal towns that have yet to be properly assessed due to impassable roads, downed power lines and phone outages.
A 7.5 magnitude quake struck on Friday, creating a tsunami that swept waves ashore as high as 5 metres in some places. Many buildings collapsed and rescuers are still working to free survivors.
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“The death toll is believed to be still increasing since many bodies were still under the wreckage, while many have not been reached,” said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho from the disaster agency.
Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo toured Palu on Sunday. “There are many challenges,” he said. “We have to do many things soon, but conditions do not allow us to do so.”
