A mobile clinic has been set up in Sigi and the doctors are treating people – the majority women and children – who are suffering from open wounds, broken bones, and bruises. Since people are sleeping in tents or on the street without access to food and clean drinking water, the doctors are also responding to cases of diarrhea, stomach problems and flu. Red Cross ambulances are not currently able to reach the centre of Sigi as the roads are too badly damaged.
The humanitarian needs in Palu and Donggala district are overwhelming, and access is extremely difficult due to the destruction of roads and transport links. An Indonesian Red Cross team reached the Sigi area on Monday 1 October. The scene there is tragic: search and rescue volunteers found the bodies of 34 students who were attending a Bible camp when the disaster struck. It’s difficult to reach those areas and the roads are covered in mud and rubble. Currently, the Indonesian Red Cross team is focusing on search and rescue in three areas: Palu, Sigi and Donggala. Other hard-hit areas that need urgent attention are North Mamuju, Parrigi and Moutong.
Key figures
At least 1,234 people have been killed
At least 799 people have been injured
At least 206 Indonesian Red Cross volunteers in the field
161,000 people have been displaced
More than 6,000 houses destroyed
22 million Swiss franc Emergency Appeal launched
For more information:
In Jakarta:
Aulia Arriani, Indonesian Red Cross, +62 816 79 5379
Iris van Deinse, IFRC, +31 612 894 923
In Kuala Lumpur:
Necephor Mghendi, IFRC, +60 12 224 6796
In Beijing:
Maude Froberg, +86 139 1009 6892, maude.froberg@ifrc.org
In Geneva:
Matthew Cochrane, +41 79 251 80 39, matthew.cochrane@ifrc.org
Alison Freebairn, +41 79 251 93 33, alison.freebairn@ifrc.org