About 5,000 people are still missing after the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Indonesia.
Most of the missing are feared to still be buried under the rubble after Indonesia's twin disasters.
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Indonesian soldiers carry the body of a victim from the rubble in Palu on October 4. Photo:Reuters. |
"Based on reports from Balaro and Petobo village leaders, there are still about 5,000 people unaccounted for,"Al Arabiyaquoted Indonesian National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNBP) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho as saying today. However, he added that it is difficult to get an exact figure because most of the damaged areas are covered by "mud mountains" and rubble.
Balaro and Petobo are two villages that were wiped out by the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Indonesia on September 28. The death toll now stands at 1,763. Bodies continue to be pulled from under collapsed houses in Palu city and neighboring residential areas.
Despite the number of people still missing, BNBP announced that it would end search operations on October 11.
A 7.5-magnitude earthquake last weekend triggered a 6-meter-high tsunami that hit the city of Palu and the town of Donggala in Central Sulawesi province, causing severe damage. Search and rescue efforts are being hampered by a lack of heavy equipment and severely damaged infrastructure.
