WEB DESK
Nearly 400 people have been killed in a devastating earthquake and tsunami in Palu city on Sulawesi island Friday. The national disaster agency of the country said hospitals are struggling to cope with hundreds of injured and rescuers scrambling to reach the stricken region.
ndonesian officials say they have confirmed 384 people are dead following a powerful earthquake and tsunami on the island of Sulawesi.
They say the death toll could rise further.
The magnitude-7.5 quake hit the central Indonesian island shortly past 6 PM on Friday, local time. Tsunami up to 3 meters high struck the Donggala area and the city of Palu.
Officials at the national disaster agency told reporters on Saturday that the disaster killed 384 people in Palu.
They say thousands of buildings including hotels and commercial facilities collapsed in Palu and it is possible that many people are trapped under rubble.
In the city of Palu partially covered bodies lay on the ground near the shore. There are also concerns over the whereabouts of hundreds of people preparing for a beach festival due to start yesterday evening.
The tsunami was triggered by a strong quake that brought down buildings and sent locals fleeing for higher ground. Reports say that the shallow 7.5 magnitude tremor was more powerful than a series of quakes that killed hundreds on the Indonesian island of Lombok in July and August.
Indonesian president Joko Widodo said military have been called in to the disaster-struck region to help search-and-rescue teams get to victims and find bodies.
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