Updated on September 30, 12:50 - Indonesia Tsunami, Earthquake: 832 dead till now; death toll to rise
Thousands of people in Indonesia are fearing death, after a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. It also triggered a deadly tsunami off the coast of the city of Palu, which is home to 350,000 people.
The earthquake and the following tsunami caused thousands of buildings to collapse, including hotels, a shopping mall and several mosques.
More than half of the 560 inmates in Palu’s prison escaped after walls collapsed. According to reports, the Indonesian Government has also given the people in Palu permission to loot food and water from shops.
Supoto has confirmed that 832 people have been killed in the Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami, this number is further expected to rise. 821 died in Palu and 11 people have been confirmed dead in Donggala. 540 people were seriously injured and hospitalized.
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.
Updated on September 29, 13:09 - Indonesia Tsunami, Earthquake: 48 dead till now, death toll to rise further
Indonesia, a vast archipelago with about 17,500 islands, is part of the Ring of Fire, an area susceptible to earthquakes and volcanic activity.
Numerous earthquakes have struck the region in recent months. One of the biggest was a magnitude 6.9 earthquake that hit Lombok and the Gili islands southwest of Sulawesi on August 5, killing more than 460 people.
On Friday, a powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck Sulawesi Island in Indonesia, destroying thousands of buildings and leaving dozens of people dead, with many others missing.
The earthquake was initially measured at a magnitude of 7.5 but about 10 minutes later, another quake struck the area, with a magnitude of 5.8. Later on, a tsunami was also reported that occurred along the shoreline of Palu.
Due to the Tsunami, many houses were swept away, and families missing. The 10-foot tall tsunami impacted at least two cities, disrupting communication and power to the area.
Moreover, hospitals have reported at least 48 deaths in the city of Palu alone, most of them from the quake. Meanwhile, the toll from the tsunami is still unknown, but the preparations for a beach festival had been underway in Palu when the wave came.
Image Credits – Live Science
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