Huge Surge in Death Toll in Indonisia

[Stuart G]

Source: BBC

At least 832 people were killed in the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, the national disaster agency says.

Many people were reported trapped in the rubble of buildings that collapsed in Friday's 7.5-magnitude earthquake, agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told a news conference.

The quake triggered tsunami waves as high as 6m (20ft), he added.

Vice-President Jusuf Kalla said the final death toll could be thousands.

Rescuers have been digging by hand in the search for survivors in the city of Palu



Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45697553

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This sentence is horrific: "Vice-President Jusuf Kalla said the final death toll could be thousands."

[dembotoz]

1. Read the original reports as 6 ft...20 ft .. Jesus

How does someone survive

[Bayard]

2. Digging by hand

Is there no assistance in this effort?

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Main road to the city was blocked by the quake, the airport was damaged

and I think planes still can't land.

Indonesia salutes air traffic controller who gave his life for others

Indonesian solders were on hand in full uniform Saturday to carry the coffiin of Anthonius Gunawan Agung.
...
As his colleagues evacuated the building for safety, Agung stayed behind to ensure that a Batik Air flight had taken off safely.

As the plane became airborne, Agung, believing the tower would collapse, jumped from a fourth floor window. He was rushed to hospital with internal injuries and a broken leg.

Agung died before a helicopter could take him to another hospital for specialty care on Saturday morning. He was just a month shy of his 22nd birthday.

https://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/30/asia/indonesia-earthquake-controller-intl/index.html

[Chrysanthemum]

4. What horrible suffering!

I hope the rescuers can find more survivors!

(I'm also curious how the BBC managed to misspell Indonesia!)

[RussBLib]

5. Some had only 15 minutes after the quake

To get out. Yikes. Will probably be many more people found dead. In the thousands.

The wife and I sit on a barrier island off the coast of Texas watching one disaster after another on the TV.

Yikes.