Further Australian support following the Sulawesi natural disaster and tsunami
- by Kelli Lowe
- in Global Media
- — Oct 9, 2018
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has said all of the victims of the 7.5 magnitude quake and tsunami that struck the west coast of Sulawesi island on September 28, killing more than 1,600 people, must be found.
The official death toll from the quake and the tsunami it triggered has risen to 1,649, but will certainly increase.
Bodies are still being recovered from the ruins of buildings in the small city of Palu and from neighborhoods hit by liquefaction, a phenomenon that turns the ground into a roiling quagmire, in the south of city.
"We're going to clear off all the superficial rubble that's on top and get into the spaces and see if there are bodies", Allibert told Reuters as he surveyed a terrible jumble of debris.
"We've marked the possible bodies with sticks".
As the sun slipped behind the mountains and a gentle breeze blew onshore, hundreds of people gathered on an Indonesian beach Friday to chant a Muslim prayer - and remember those they lost - one week after a massive natural disaster and tsunami ravaged the area, killing more than 1,500 people.
News agency AFP reports that the devastation in two areas - Petobo and Balaroa - has been so bad, officials are considering declaring them mass graves.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi says military transport aircraft from India and Singapore have arrived to help in relief efforts in central Sulawesi, which was hit by a powerful natural disaster and tsunami.
While grappling with immediate relief needs, the government is also mapping out plans to help more than 70,000 people, including tens of thousands of children, who have been displaced by the disasters to rebuild their lives. Even if they give up, we won't.
Min Kapala, a 49-year-old teacher, said she came to the city of more than 25 churches from an outlying area because her usual house of worship was destroyed and liquefaction moved a different piece of ground to its location.
Mr Allibert said it would take months to find all the bodies.
"[The survivors] can not stay for very long in the displaced persons camps because [the children] must return to school soon", BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said at a press conference on Sunday, adding that emergency schools may be set up using tents. "Where are they? What if they are still alive?"
"We have vaccinated our teams, but we need to be extra cautious as they are exposed to health hazards". Eight victims in black body bags were arranged in a row at the crumpled neighbourhood of Balaroa, destined for a mass grave. One man, Nizar, said he had identified six relatives among them.
Parker says Australian officials are ready to help the Indonesians transfer the aid further in the disaster zone.
Royal Australian Air Force Capt. Bryan Parker says the military transport plane will reach central Sulawesi late Thursday from Darwin.
A villager stands amidst the destruction in Palu.
Deputy Foreign Minister Abdurrahman Mohammad Fachir told a briefing in Jakarta ministries were coordinating to facilitate the arrival of aid.
