Quakes, tsunami death toll in Indonesia raises to 1200

The Indonesian government which has been reeling from a spate of catastrophes welcomed foreign relief aids, an official said Monday.

Indonesian Chief Security Minister Wiranto was quoted by spokesman of national disaster management agency Sutopo Purwo Nugroho as saying that the government accepted aids badly needed by the survivors, including tents, water treatment facilities, generators, and medical supplies. Items beyond these categories remained open to be accepted.

Powerful and shallow under-earth quakes measuring 6.0, 7.4 and 6.1 magnitude and a tsunami devastated Central Sulawesi province of central Indonesia on Friday, with the hardest-hit area being provincial capital Palu and Donggala district.

China, the United States, the European Union, Australia, South Korea, Switzerland, Singapore, Morocco, Turkey and the Philippines had offered aids to the Indonesian government, according to the spokesman.

"Last (Sunday) night the president told the foreign minister that Indonesia would like to accept (foreign aids) based on necessities," Sutopo said, referring to President Joko Widodo and Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

As of Monday, death toll of the series of disasters has climbed to 1,203. The numbers are feared to grow higher.

Reports released by THE Disaster Management Institute of Indonesia, Care for Humanity and Humanity Data Center revealed that the data was counted in Palu and Donggala district, not including figures from two other affected districts of Parigi Mountong and North Mamuju.

In the meantime, taking two examples of two residential houses of Balaroa and Patogo where more than 2,000 houses collapsed, Sutopo said that hundreds of bodies remained under the ruins.

"In rBalaroa, about 11,747 houses have been leveled after the soils moved downward about five meters, while parts of a road moved upward as high as a house. It is estimated hundreds of people (are) feared dead there, in such condition the evacuation is very difficult," said Sutopo.

"Separately in Patogo, hundreds of victims are estimated being buried by mud which during the quake was coming out from the earth in a huge volume and mass and engulfed a total of 742 houses. Again the evacuation the victims are difficult," he revealed.

Search and rescue operation continued as rescuers rushed to retrieve survivors from the ruins and damaged buildings, said Sutopo.

The spokesman added that the number of foreign nationals who were in the disaster affected areas rose on Monday to 114 from the previous report of 61, including Chinese citizens who survived along with those from others nations.

Indonesia is prone to quake as it sits on a vulnerable quake-affected areas called the Pacific Ring of Fire.