Indonesia quake death toll hits 2,113 and over 1 thousand missing

The death toll from a 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi province at the end of September reached 2,113 late Saturday, with 1,309 people declared still missing.

Up to 1,703 of the fatalities were from the provincial capital Palu, with the rest from neighbouring districts Donggala, Sigi, Parigo Moutong and Pasangkayu, National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Nugroho said.

As many as 223,751 people have been displaced and 4,612 people are injured after the Sep 28 quake, which triggered a tsunami and soil liquefaction that sucked thousands of houses into the saturated ground.

“A number of public facilities such as electricity and communication networks have been restored and are almost 100 per cent back to normal,” Nugroho said, adding that trading at gas stations and in markets and the banking sector have also resumed.

He added that even though the search efforts to look for casualties were officially stopped on October 12, members of search and rescue parties clearing out the rubble of damaged properties continue to find bodies under the ruins.

The government has been building temporary housing and tents for the displaced residents, including water and sanitation facilities as the residents brace for the approaching rainy season, Nugroho said.

The government has declared the emergency phase for the affected areas is still in place until Friday.