Indonesia – Earthquakes and Tsunami Cause Devastation in Sulawesi

A series of earthquakes on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia on 28 September, 2018, triggered a tsunami that flooded northern parts of the island, causing widespread damage and destruction.

The epicentre of strongest quake – measured at 7.5 Mw magnitude – was around 60km north of the city of Palu. Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG), said that there had been at least 170 aftershocks between 28 and 30 September.

AHA Centre reports that the areas of Donggala, Palu, Parigi Moutong and Sigi have all been severely affected by the quakes and the tsunami wave, which was reported to be between 3 and 6 metres high.

As of 30 September, Indonesia’s disaster management agency (BNPB) said that at least 832 people have died in the disaster, with the number expected to rise as several districts are still inaccessible due to the extensive damage to infrastructure. The Red Cross said that many of those killed were from the city of Palu, where the earthquake and tsunami also destroyed scores of buildings. At least 540 people have been injured.

As many as 16,732 people have been displaced and are being housed in 24 relief camps. Many areas are without electricity and have limited drinking water supplies. AHA Centre says that up to 1.5 million people could be affected by the tsunami and quakes.

Breaking NewsIndonesiaTsunami