What we know so far
- On Friday 28th September a series of earthquakes, including one measuring 7.5 magnitude, hit Sulawesi, Indonesia, followed by a tsunami with waves of up to 6m.
- The most affected areas are Palu, Donggala, Parigi Moutong and Sigi with over 1.5 million people are potentially affected.
- There have been over 200 aftershocks and cases of soil liquefaction in Palu and Sigi which are exacerbating conditions.
- It is estimated that 1,571 people have died (Associated Press, 04.10.18), 2549 people are severely injured and 70,821 are displaced and being housed in 141 evacuation sites.
- The United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs says there are nearly 200,000 people in urgent need of assistance, about a quarter of them children (BBC, 02.10.18).
- A team of 60 coalition staff and volunteers is on the ground now in Palu delivering aid to affected people. The team has distributed initial relief supplies (e.g. solar lamps, tents, tarpaulins) to approx 2500 displaced people.
- Update:Thursday 11th October –The latest figures indicate that 2045 people have died, 10,679 people are severely injured and 82,775 are displaced.
- Francisca Fitri, Executive Director, YAPPIKA-ActionAid says:“The situation in Palu is far from stable. Women urgently need our support, especially those with babies or young children.We are worried about women being able to access water safely. Too many people are trying to use too few wells. It is harder for women to access these wells safely and we need to ensure that women can get clean, safe water especially in this hot weather. At the moment we are giving out thousands of litres of water every day to women and their families, but this is only a short-term solution.”
- The number of missing people remains unclear. The officially confirmed figure for missing people is 671, however the media are reporting much higher estimates.