Death Toll Rises In Indonesia After Tsunami

WAMU 88.5

Published October 2, 2018 at 11:06 AM EDT

Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images

People pass a stranded ship after a deadly tsunami struck the area on October 2, 2018 in Donggala, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Over 1.200 people have been confirmed dead after a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake slammed into Indonesia's coastline on the island of Sulawesi, causing thousands of homes to collapse, along with hospitals, hotels and shopping centers. Emergency services fear that the death toll could rise into the thousands as rescue teams made contact with the nearby cities of Donggala and Mamuju and strong aftershocks continue to rock the city.

After a 7.5-magnitude earthquake catalyzed a tsunami, survivors in the coastal city of Palu, on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, are struggling.

The BBC reports that the death toll is now around 1,350 people, and that “people there are growing increasingly desperate for food, fuel and water.”

From The Guardian:

Around 62,000 people have been displaced by the twin disaster, with many still trying to escape the devastated region. Over 3,000 people flocked to Palu’s airport on Monday, trying to board military aircraft or one of the few commercial flights leaving the airport, which has suffered severe damage. Video footage showed crowds screaming in anger because they were not able to get on a military plane.

“We have not eaten for three days,” one woman yelled. “We just want to be safe.”

As the death toll continues to rise from Friday’s earthquake and tsunami, Indonesia calls on the international community for help as it buries its dead in a mass grave. pic.twitter.com/6f9wYN0hXs

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 2, 2018

Could this tragedy have been prevented? What’s next for the residents of Sulawesi?

Text by Gabrielle Healy.

GUESTS

Louise Comfort, Former Director, The Center for Disaster Management, University of Pittsburgh.

For more, visit https://the1a.org.