Death toll from Indonesian quake, tsunami hits 384

By Mahmut Atanur

JAKARTA

At least 384 people died after Friday's 7.7-magnitude earthquake and a tsunami shook Indonesia, said the country’s disaster management agency on Saturday, cited by Indonesian television.

The tsunami, towering up to three meters high and triggered by Friday's 7.7-magnitude earthquake, hit Palu, capital of the Central Sulawesi province, and the northeast of the nearby Donggala Regency.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for Indonesia’s disaster management agency (BNPB), said the information on casualties only covers Palu.

Hundreds of people were injured and thousands of houses damaged or destroyed in Palu.

The quake's epicenter was 78 kilometers north of Palu at a depth of 10 kilometers.

There are also problems in communication due to electricity and Internet cuts, he added.

A 1,400-person search and rescue team continue efforts in the area.

Three more earthquakes with magnitudes 6.3, 6.9, and 7 hit the eastern island of Lombok in the last two months, killing a total of 563 people.

Indonesia lies within the Pacific Ocean’s "Ring of Fire" where tectonic plates collide and cause frequent seismic and volcanic activity.

On Dec. 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck the eastern coast of Sumatra, triggering a tsunami that killed around 230,000 people as it tore along the coasts of Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.