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Indonesia earthquake and tsunami death toll surpasses 830







Jakarta, Indonesia As rescue workers comb through chunks of concrete and lumber searching for survivors, Indonesian officials say that 832 people were killed in a powerful earthquake and tsunami on the island of Sulawesi.
Two days after the 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit the island, the death toll has continuously risen and authorities say more bodies could still be recovered.
Indonesian Disaster Management Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho estimates that 2.4 million people were impacted by Friday's earth.





Nugroho said 71 foreigners were in the city of Palu at the time of the quake and most were safely evacuated to Jakarta. At least five foreigners, including three French nationals as well as a Malaysian and a South Korean national, are unaccounted for, he said.
As of Sunday, there were no reports of US citizens affected in the quake, the US Embassy in Jakarta told.


Survivors walked through floodwater and piles of debris. A shopping mall turned into rubble and the large dome of a mosque collapsed in Palu, home of 350,000 people.
Families carried the few belongings they could retrieve in plastic bags and backpacks to outdoor shelters where thousands hope to receive aid.
Hundreds were badly injured and at least 17,000 people were left homeless, Nugroho said.
The lack of heavy equipment and personnel has slowed down rescue efforts in the coastal city of Palu, where workers were scrambling Sunday to rescue about 50 people trapped beneath the debris of a collapsed hotel.

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo arrived in Palu on Sunday to survey the affected areas.
"I am asking all of you to work day and night to complete every tasks related to the evacuation. Are you ready?" he asked the country's military.

'It could get much worse'

As Widodo visits Palu on Sunday, the scale of the earthquake's destruction is still unclear.
Electricity and communications have been cut off and roads that are severely damaged or blocked by landslides are making it difficult to assess the damage, Nugroho said.

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