Torrential rains today complicate the search for survivors of the 6.2 magnitude earthquake on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, which has claimed the lives of at least 73 people.
More than 820 people have been injured and more than 27,800 have been left homeless. With cranes, authorities are continuing search operations for the wreckage of buildings that collapsed in the city of Mamuju, which was hit hardest by Friday's strong earthquake.
“The rains are causing additional difficulties, as there is a risk that some damaged buildings, such as the aftershocks, will collapse completely,” described a rescuer, 37-year-old Octaviano. Heavy vehicles should therefore take every precaution, as removing debris too quickly could be fatal for people trapped under them.
“All the people we found were dead,” Octaviano said. “For more than 24 hours, those trapped in the rubble are likely to have died,” he added.
Images taken from above of the provincial capital, West Sulawesi, a city of 100,000, show buildings leveled, including a hospital and the governor's office.
Earthquake sufferers complain that they do not have food and blankets. Essentials and emergency equipment were transported to the island by plane and ship, while the navy sent a floating hospital to assist.
Floods and volcanic eruptions
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Two weeks after the New Year, the 6.2 magnitude earthquake is not, however, the only natural disaster to hit the fourth most populous country on the planet right now.
Catastrophic floods in northern Sulawesi and southern Borneo have killed at least five people this month, and landslides in western Java have killed at least 29 people, according to authorities.
On January 9, a Sriwijaya Air plane crashed in the Java Sea with 62 people on board. In addition, the Semeros volcano erupted yesterday, with no reports of casualties or evacuations.
(KYPE – ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ- AFP-Reuters / ΚΣΤ / ΓΒΑ)
