Indonesia earthquake, tsunami toll reaches 1,407
Palu (Indonesia), Oct 3 : Indonesian authorities on Wednesday raised to 1,407 the number of deaths caused by the 7.5 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck Sulawesi Island.
In a televised press conference in Jakarta, National Agency for Disaster Management spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the figure was expected to continue rising as search and rescue operations were underway with more rescuers and equipment joining in the mission.
Most deaths were recorded in Palu, the worst affected city on Sulawesi Island, while the rest of the casualties were in the neighbouring Donggala district and parts of Sigi and Parigi Moutong, Sutopo said.
An estimated 2.4 million people were affected by the twin disasters. A total of 70,821 people fled their homes and took shelter in camps or under tarpaulins in 141 spots. So far, not all of the basic needs have been provided, Sutopo was cited as saying by Efe news.
The number of people admitted to hospitals went up to 2,549 and those missing to 113. About 65,733 houses were damaged or destroyed.
The catastrophe began on Friday with a 6.1 magnitude earthquake that killed one person. It was followed by the 7.5 magnitude earthquake and then a tsunami.
Sutopo said that 63 per cent of Indonesians in the Sulawesi region hit by the quake and tsunami failed to hear the warning sirens.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday made his second visit to the devastated areas in Palu and Donggala. He later tweeted that a rapid response was the most important thing after the tragedy.
Widodo said that aid had started arriving and that US President Donald Trump had called him to offer assistance, state news agency Antara reported.
His visit came as electricity was being restored to around 30 per cent of Palu -- a city of 350,000 inhabitants - Sarjan Mokodomgan, an employee of the state-owned electricity company, told Efe news.
Gasoline distribution began on Wednesday after at least a dozen tanker trunks arrived with fuel.
Indonesian authorities and various local and international organizations were working to bring humanitarian aid and medical assistance to those affected.
Meanwhile, the Soputan volcano located on the Sulawesi Island erupted on Wednesday, prompting authorities to raise the alert in the area to the second highest level.
Sotupan emitted a column of smoke and ash 4,000 metres high and authorities established a safety radius of 4 km around the crater.
Sotupan's activity coincided with that of the Anak Krakatau volcano located in the Sunda Strait, between the islands of Sumatra and Java, which in recent weeks recorded dozens of eruptions.
Officials said that the condition of Anak Krakatau was safe, and beyond the safety perimetre established within a radius of 2 km around the crater.
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Trinamool MP Yusuf Pathan declines government's Operation Sindoor delegation invite
Kolkata: Trinamool Congress MP Yusuf Pathan, who was named by the government to join an all-party parliamentary delegation for the 'Operation Sindoor' diplomatic outreach, is reportedly set to skip the initiative.
The government included his name without consulting the Trinamool Congress, although the government had reached out to the MP directly, India Today quoted party sources as saying.
The former cricketer-turned-politician has conveyed that he will not be able to join the delegation.
According to the report, Pathan was invited to be part of the team led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha, which is set to visit Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore as part of the government's diplomatic mission.
Objecting to the Centre's choice of MP to represent the Trinamool Congress, the party's National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee questioned, “How can the Union Government decide on the representative of Trinamool?” He added that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) should have held discussions with the opposition to decide which representative a party will send.
Meanwhile, a senior Trinamool Congress leader pointed out that foreign policy comes under the Union government’s domain and it should take complete responsibility of such matters.
"We believe that the nation is above all, and we pledged our support to the Union government to take whatever action needed to protect our great nation. Our armed forces have made our nation proud and we are forever indebted to them. Foreign policy is entirely within the domain of the Union government. Therefore, let only the Union government decide our foreign policy and take complete responsibility for it," the TMC leader said.
The government recently announced that seven all-party delegations will be sent to key partner countries, including members of the UN Security Council, later this month to convey India's message of zero tolerance against terrorism.
A statement by the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry said, "The all-party delegations will project India's national consensus and resolute approach to combating terrorism in all forms and manifestations. They would carry forth to the world the country's strong message of zero tolerance against terrorism."
