Staying on fluid developments in Sulawesi Island where Indonesian President Joko Widodo has ordered more rescuers to be sent in to find victims of a devastating earthquake and tsunami on Tuesday as the official death toll rose above one thousand, two hundred amidst looting and raised fears of growing lawlessness.
Most of the dead have been from the small city of Palu, 1,500 km northeast of Jakarta, but some remote areas have been cut off since Friday’s 7.5 magnitude quake triggered tsunami waves, leading to fears the toll could soar.
“There are some main priorities that we must tackle and the first is to evacuate, find and save victims who’ve not yet been found,” President Widodo told a government meeting to coordinate disaster recovery efforts on the west coast of Sulawesi island.
He said he had ordered the national search and rescue agency to send more police and soldiers into the affected districts, some cut off by destroyed roads, landslides, and downed bridges.
