Indonesian army joins efforts to extract bodies after earthquake

Efforts to reconstruct and clear the rubble in the city of Palu remain stifled with international aid only expected to enter the area today since the airport re-opened.

Residents sift through debris along a coastal area in Palu, Indonesia's Central Sulawesi on 2 October 2018, after an earthquake and tsunami hit the area on 28 September 2018. Picture: AFP.

Ziyanda Ngcobo | 317 days ago

JAKARTA - The South African embassy in Indonesia says the local army has taken the lead in efforts to extract bodies that remain trapped under rubble after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake shook the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia.

Efforts to reconstruct and clear the rubble in the city of Palu remain stifled with international aid only expected to enter the area today since the airport re-opened.

The death toll following last Friday's tremor is 1,407 with the number expected to rise as search efforts continue.

The urgent needs of locals in the disaster areas include food, water and shelter.

Ambassador Hilton Fisher says so far there haven’t been any reports of South Africans being affected by the latest earthquake.

#Indonesia SA Ambassador in Indonesia Dr Hilton Fisher says authorities in the country are deliberately trying to manage access to the disaster zone because there are still after shocks.He says this is one of the reasons why there’s a backlog in getting aid in the city of Palu.ZN pic.twitter.com/6kmY13JjmX
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) October 5, 2018

Fisher says while the situation in Palu remains volatile, it will be difficult to get aid to the affected areas.

“There is no international search and rescue team on the ground, the Indonesians are trying to limit that because of the aftershocks and the road is inaccessible.”

Meanwhile, the International Relations Department has also expressed its support for the work being done by NGO the Gift of the Givers.

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