Earthquake and tsunami hit the Central Sulawesi provincial capital of Palu (Photo: AFP/VNA)
Earlier, top leaders of Vietnam sent messages of sympathy to Indonesia leaders over the huge losses of life and property caused by the earthquakes and tsunami in Palu city, Central Sulawesi province.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and acting President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh cabled the messages to Indonesian President Joko Widodo, while National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan sent the message to Speaker of the People’s Representative Council Bambang Soesatyo.
Also on September 30th, the Republic of Korea (RoK) said it will provide USD1 million to help victims and support reconstruction work.
Chinese President Xi Jin-ping and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison also affirmed their countries are willing to provide support for Indonesia.
Earlier, an earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale and 3-meter-high waves crashed onto the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, at the Central Sulawesi provincial capital of Palu. The confirmed death toll has risen to 1,400.
According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the death toll in Palu alone reached 1,177 people, in Donggala 153 people, Sigi 65 people, and Parigi Moutong 12 people.
There are 2,549 seriously injured people being treated in hospitals, 133 people unaccounted for, and over 65,000 houses severely damaged.
More than 150 aftershocks followed the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, causing thousands of homes, hotels, shopping malls and several mosques to collapse./.