Asia

Stories of survival bring hope to those hardest-hit

*Story and pictures of 9 year old Puri* who was rescued after being buried in rubble for 5 hours – photos here

Communities have been devastated by the earthquake and tsunami which Disaster Response Officials believe to have killed over 1300 people in Indonesia’s Sulawesi island. Families now face growing health risks as the full scale of the crisis becomes known.

Save the Children and its local partner are warning of the huge psychological toll on children, particularly those that were orphaned or separated from their parents following Friday’s devastating earthquake and tsunami in Sulawesi.

More than 1.5 million people have been impacted by the disaster, including at least 600,000 children. About a third are seriously affected, losing their homes, livelihoods or loved ones.

As fears grow for hundreds still missing after Friday’s magnitude 7.4 earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia’s Sulawesi, relief agencies are struggling to access some of the worst affected communities.

Power remains out in areas around Palu, the capital of central Sulawesi, while landslides have blocked key roads. Other vital infrastructure including the airport in Palu have been badly damaged.

Emergency response staff from Save the Children’s local partner will deploy to central Sulawesi in Indonesia after a powerful earthquake struck about 5pm local time yesterday.

The magnitude 7.5 quake triggered a tsunami with waves reportedly up to three metres high near the island’s capital Palu, and was followed by several large aftershocks, forcing local residents to sleep outside for fear of buildings collapsing.