VIDEO: Powerful tsunami hits #Palu, Central #Sulawesi in #Indonesia after 7.7-magnitude quake. #earthquake #Indonesiapic.twitter.com/rA6bcI3Cni
— Douglas MacDonald (@dmac5dmark2) September 28, 2018
Sulawesi – Indonesian officials have yet to count dead bodies lying on shorelines but the death toll from a 7.4 earthquake and a powerful Tsunami has reached 384.
The Tsunami generated by the earthquake brought a 3 metre wall of water near central Sulawesi – after the government cancelled the Tsunami warning.
A horrifying amateur video shows people fleeing for their lives. But not all escaped as the water caused extensive damage along beach-front infrastructure.
According to government disaster relief agency the death toll of 384 was recorded at Palu city. The agency has no handle on how many are dead in Dongala city.
The 7.4 magnitude quake shook Palu and Dongala, Central Sulawesi on Sept. 28 at 17.02.
The epicenter of the earthquake was 27 km east of the Dongala Sea, Central Sulawesi.
A Tsunami warning was issued. However, the Tsunami warning was cancelled a few minutes later. It was after the cancellation that the water wall came ashore.
“The tsunami had hit the Talise beach in Palu City and the beach in Dongala. Some videos documented by the community and disseminated on social media about tsunamis in Palu and Dongala are true,” said the government agency.
“The tsunami earthquake caused casualties. Interim reports (state) there were several victims who died because of collapsed buildings. The tsunami also hit several settlements and buildings on the beach. The number of victims and their impact is still in the data collection.”
“The power outages caused the communication network in Dongala and surrounding areas to be unable to operate because electricity supply was broken.”
“There are 276 base stations that cannot be used. Communication operators continue to try to recover electricity supply on an emergency basis,” said spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.
The full death toll is likely to be much higher.
