At least 845 lives are reported to have been lost in the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Friday, with the death toll forecast to reach thousands.
Friday’s powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake triggered tsunami waves as high as 6m that have levelled the small city of Palu and surrounding areas of Dongalla, Sigi and Boutong in the northeast of Sulawesi. Many areas are still to be reached given their now destroyed and inaccessible locations.
Hundreds of locals were on the beach in Palu at the time, preparing for a festival when the waves swept in while hundreds of others were trapped in the rubble of buildings that collapsed during the quake. Authorities fear many bodies may have been washed out to sea and will never be found.
More than 150 aftershocks have since followed the quake and tsunami, causing thousands of homes, hotels, shopping malls and several mosques to collapse.
The Red Cross estimates that more than 1.6 million people have been affected by the earthquake and tsunami and is describing it as a tragedy that “could get much worse”.
21-year-old air traffic controller Anthonius Gunawan Agung has been hailed a hero after he stayed in the control tower when the earthquake hit, to make sure that a flight to Bali could take off safely. Agung then jumped from the tower as it was collapsing, but did not survive the fall.
The quake and tsunami follow the recent quakes in Lombok and the Gilli Isles which killed more than 550 people.
What can you do to help?
Palu. Image: World Vision UK
The situation in the area is dire with corpses lying in city streets, mass graves being hurriedly prepared and thousands of the injured being treated in tents because of severe damage to hospitals in the area.
There is no electricity and supplies including petrol, food and clean water are all rapidly running out. There is also limited access to heavy equipment needed to help rescue efforts, so search and rescue teams working to find people trapped in the rubble are doing so mostly by hand.
Project Karma is already on the ground working to help find displaced children in the area as well as throughout Indonesia. Show your support and donate >>> here
The Red Cross continues to do incredible work on the ground in Indonesia. Donate >>> here
World Vision is also now on the ground doing all they can to support locals. Donate >>> here
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