Over 800 dead in Indonesia quake and tsunami, toll may rise
- 6 years ago
The death toll from an earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia has soared to more than 800, with authorities fearing the number could rise further.
For more on this and other news around the world let's turn to our Ro Aram…
Aram… what's the latest?
Well Mark... the latest death toll given by Indonesia's disaster agency stood at 832.
However, there are many still unaccounted for and Vice-President Jusuf Kalla estimates the final death toll could be in the thousands.
Rescuers are continuing to dig through debris with their bare hands in the city of Palu on Sulawesi Island, which was hit by waves as high as six meters following a 7.5 magnitude earthquake on Friday.
There's a desperate need for heavy equipment to reach possible survivors buried in collapsed buildings, including an eight-story hotel where voices were heard in the rubble.
President Joko Widodo said more heavy machinery was on its way.
Most of the confirmed deaths were from Palu, but officials are bracing for the toll to climb as connections with outlying areas are restored.
Of particular concern is Donggala, a region of 300,000 people north of Palu and close to the epicenter of the quake, and two other districts, which has been cut off from communications since Friday.
Meanwhile, the South Korean government is working with Jakarta to track down a South Korean national who went missing in the wake of the disasters.
The South Korean embassy in Indonesia is also working to verify the identities and whereabouts of several other people reported to be Korean nationals.
For more on this and other news around the world let's turn to our Ro Aram…
Aram… what's the latest?
Well Mark... the latest death toll given by Indonesia's disaster agency stood at 832.
However, there are many still unaccounted for and Vice-President Jusuf Kalla estimates the final death toll could be in the thousands.
Rescuers are continuing to dig through debris with their bare hands in the city of Palu on Sulawesi Island, which was hit by waves as high as six meters following a 7.5 magnitude earthquake on Friday.
There's a desperate need for heavy equipment to reach possible survivors buried in collapsed buildings, including an eight-story hotel where voices were heard in the rubble.
President Joko Widodo said more heavy machinery was on its way.
Most of the confirmed deaths were from Palu, but officials are bracing for the toll to climb as connections with outlying areas are restored.
Of particular concern is Donggala, a region of 300,000 people north of Palu and close to the epicenter of the quake, and two other districts, which has been cut off from communications since Friday.
Meanwhile, the South Korean government is working with Jakarta to track down a South Korean national who went missing in the wake of the disasters.
The South Korean embassy in Indonesia is also working to verify the identities and whereabouts of several other people reported to be Korean nationals.