03/10/2018 13:55
Death toll from Indonesia’s quake climbs to 1,400
The death toll from an earthquake and tsunami on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi has reached 1,407 people, and 113 people more are missing, said spokesman for the National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB) Sutopo Nugroho.
He said "more than 2,500 locals were injured, and more than 70,000 people had to leave their homes."
Head of the National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB) Willem Rampangilei earlier told the TV channel Channel NewsAsia that, according to the UN, more than 200,000 locals need urgent help. The Agency specified that the population affected by the disaster in four districts of the Central Sulawesi province exceeds 1.4 million people. Rescuers still have no access to some places.
A 7.4 magnitude earthquake occurred on September 28, with about 170 aftershocks reported in the next two days. Strong aftershocks caused a tsunami, with waves 3-5 meters high then. However, 30 minutes after the first aftershocks the Agency for Meteorology, Climate and Geophysics lifted the tsunami danger as the equipment did not register the oncoming disaster.