Last-ditch search for survivors as Indonesia disaster toll tops 1,500
Palu, Oct 5 : Search teams made desperate last-ditch efforts Friday to find survivors, a week on from Indonesia's devastating quake-tsunami, as the death toll from the disaster rose above 1,500.
The city of Palu on Sulawesi island has been left in ruins after being hit by a 7.5 magnitude quake and a wall of water, which flattened homes, ripped up trees and overturned cars.
After days of delays, international aid has finally started to arrive in the disaster zone, where the UN says almost 200,000 people are in need of humanitarian assistance.
Survivors have ransacked shops and supply trucks in the hunt for basic necessities, prompting security forces to round up dozens of suspected looters and warn that they will fire on thieves.
Authorities previously set a tentative deadline of Friday for finding anyone trapped under ruined buildings, although chances of pulling survivors alive from the rubble at such a late stage are almost zero.
Local military spokesman Muhammad Thohir said that the death toll had risen to 1,558, up about 100 from the previous official figure.
Over 100 people are still unaccounted for, while hundreds of bodies have been buried in mass graves in a bid to avert a disease outbreak from corpses rotting in the tropical sun.
Search efforts focused on eight key locations Friday, including a beach and the Balaroa area where the sheer force of the quake turned the earth temporarily to mush.
"We have to use heavy equipment now because it is very difficult to sift through the rubble by hand," Yusuf Latif, a spokesman for Indonesia's search and rescue agency, told AFP.
At the badly damaged Mercure hotel on Palu's waterfront, there was growing frustration among a French and Indonesian search team.
The rescuers, using sniffer dogs and scanners, had detected what they believed was a person under mounds of rubble the previous evening but when they resumed the hunt early Friday, any signs of life had disappeared.
"Yesterday we had a heart beat and sign of breathing, there were no other movements so it means it was someone who was motionless, confined," said Philippe Besson, president of the International Emergency Firefighters.
A week on from the disaster, some roads in the area remain impassable, detritus from the tsunami is scattered everywhere while terrified people are sleeping outside for fear of further quakes.
Improvised white flags -- a pillow case or duvet cover -- fly outside many homes, signifying a death in the family.
Nevertheless there were signs of life returning to normal, with children playing in the streets, radios blaring out music, and electricity back up and running in most places.
"Things are improving," Azhari Samad, a 56-year-old insurance salesman, told AFP at a mosque in Palu.
But for the area to recover fully from the disaster "will take years", he added.
"The first six months will be traumatic, maybe in one year we have some progress. The government will help, people will help from all over the country. Indonesians have a big heart." Samad spoke to AFP ahead of Friday prayers in the world's biggest Muslim majority country.
Sulawesi is also home to a large Christian minority.
About 20 planes carrying vital supplies such as tarpaulins, medical equipment and generators are now heading from all over the world to the disaster zone after a long delay.
Indonesia was initially reluctant to accept outside help, insisting its own military could handle the response, but as the scale of the devastation became clear President Joko Widodo agreed to allow in foreign aid.
Governments from Australia to Britain are flying in supplies, the United Nations has pledged 15 million to the relief effort, and aid groups including Save the Children and the Red Cross are also on the ground.
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KMC Mangaluru team led by Dr. Haroon files patent for absorbent pads for elderly women
Aims to address urinary incontinence in elderly women
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Mangaluru: Kasturba Medical College (KMC) has filed a patent application for “Absorbent Pads” designed to address urinary incontinence among elderly women, a condition that remains largely underreported despite its widespread impact.
Urinary incontinence does not command urgency like a heart attack, nor does it evoke the same collective response as more visible illnesses. However, for those living with it, the burden is constant, intimate, and often isolating.
There is a gradual and often unspoken impact on daily life. It begins with hesitation, declining invitations, avoiding travel, and choosing silence over conversation. Over time, this can lead to withdrawal, where fear of embarrassment starts shaping everyday decisions. For many elderly women, dignity becomes tied to small, often invisible compromises, including limiting outings or adjusting routines.
What makes this condition particularly poignant is not just its prevalence, but its invisibility. It is endured, not expressed. Accepted, not addressed.
It is in this context that the recent innovation assumes importance. The team at KMC, which includes clinicians such as Dr Haroon Hussain, has approached the issue not merely from a technical standpoint but from the perspective of lived experience.
The proposed solution, biodegradable, antimicrobial absorbent pads with improved fluid control and reduced irritation, aims to go beyond basic functionality, addressing comfort, safety, and dignity.
The development also reflects the role of academic institutions in addressing everyday health challenges. When research focuses not only on major diseases but also on conditions that affect quality of life, it reinforces the broader purpose of healthcare.
However, experts note that innovation alone cannot fully address the issue. Urinary incontinence continues to be underreported, often dismissed as an inevitable consequence of ageing. Many women do not seek medical help, not due to a lack of solutions, but because of stigma and discomfort associated with discussing the condition.
This creates a paradox, a widespread issue that is often experienced in isolation.
Medical professionals emphasise that greater awareness and open conversations are essential. Families must learn to speak about such issues without embarrassment. Healthcare providers must create spaces where patients feel heard without judgment.
The significance of this innovation lies not only in its technical aspects but also in what it brings into focus, that even the most private discomforts deserve public attention.
The patent application was filed by a team comprising Dr. Haroon Hussain, Dr. Sameena, Dr. Ritu Raval of Manipal Institute of Technology, Syed Ayaan Hussain Rizvi, and Suzanne Riya Dsouza.
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