APD | Over 1,300 missing in Indonesia's Sulawesi disasters, authorities say

By APD writer Aditya Nugraha

JAKARTA, Oct. 21 (APD) - Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said on Sunday the powerful earthquake followed by tsunami in Central Sulawesi province made 1,309 people went missing, while the death tolls were recorded at 2,256 ones.

“Cities of Palu, Donggala, Sigi and Parigi Moutong were the areas directly affected by the multiple disasters,” BNPB Spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said, referring to cities in Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi province rocked by 7.4 earthquake and swept out by tsunami.

Sutopo said the province’s capital of Palu was the most devastated one with number of bodies retrieved by search team was 1,703, followed by 171 in Donggala, 336 in Sigi, 15 in Parigi Moutong and 1 in Pasangkayu.

All bodies found during the search period that had ended Oct. 12 have been buried in mass graves or in public cemeteries, he added.

Conclusion of search activities was conducted after 14 days of emergency response period since the disaster that took place on Sept. 28.

Stoppage of the activities was considered necessary for the sake of public health as well as the researchers from infections generated by decomposed bodies of the fallen ones.

Indonesian government has planned to build a disaster monument in the site of villages devastated the most by the ground liquefaction that followed the powerful earthquake.

The ground liquefaction that occurred in the province’s Balaroa and Petobo villages has sucked down 20 meters into the ground all buildings and their tenants above, reports said.

The BNPB said that more than 1,000 people were buried alive in the ground liquefaction, hardly able to retrieve their bodies.

Indonesia has started to build temporary houses for those affected by the multiple disasters, which would eventually be replaced with permanent houses for them with the whole process as expected to be completed within 2 years.

The BNPB said the earthquake and tsunami disasters have displaced 82,775 ones who now are sheltered in camps located in Palu, Donggala and Sigi.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)