A collapsed building after an earthquake and tsunami hit Sulawesi, Indonesia, on September 28. (Photo: AFP/VNA)Jakarta (VNA) – About 70 foreigners were in Palu, CentralSulawesi, Indonesia when an earthquake and tsunami struck here and most havebeen safe, according to the Indonesian National Disaster Mitigation Agency(BNPB).
Among them, three French nationals are missing while the others areaccounted for, including 32 Thai, 21 Chinese, and 10 Vietnamese people, said BNPBspokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho at a press briefing on September 30.
Nugroho said the death toll climbed to 832, including 821 people fromthe hard-hit city of Palu and 11 from Donggala. Some 540 injured are beingtreated at hospitals and more than 16,730 people were evacuated to 24 differentlocations for safety, he added.
The casualties will keep increasing, the official noted.
The local authorities are making every effort to recover electricitysupply and improve communications.
Earlier, the BNPB and the Indonesian National Institute of Aeronauticsand Space (LAPAN) said that satellite pictures with high resolution will beused to study and assess heaviest impact caused by the twin disaster.
Suwelasi was ravaged by two quakes measuring 6.1 and 7.5 on the Richter scaleon September 28. A tsunami happened after the second hit the area in theafternoon of the same day.
No Vietnamese has been reported dead or missing, according to the Ministry ofForeign Affairs. It also confirmed that 10 Vietnamese students studying atTadulako University in Palu city are safe. The students were advised to remaincalm and closely follow guidance and notice of the local disaster preventionagency and keep in touch with the embassy’s staff.
It is the latest natural disaster to hitIndonesia, which is frequently struck by earthquakes,volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the "Ring ofFire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.
A series of earthquakes in July and August killed nearly 500 people onthe holiday island of Lombok, hundreds of kilometres southwest of Sulawesi.
In December 2004, a massive 9.1-magnitude earthquake off the northernIndonesian island of Sumatra triggered a tsunami across the Indian Oceancountries, killing 220,000 people in 13 countries, including more than 168,000in Indonesia. –VNA
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