Deadline approaches for finding Indonesia quake, tsunami survivors

Rescue workers were searching for people under debris on Sulawesi island in Indonesia on Friday, the day authorities have set as the deadline for finding survivors of last week's earthquake and tsunami that killed at least 1,424 people.

The disaster also left more than 2,500 injured, displaced more than 70,000 and caused widespread damage, reports Efe news.

In Palu - the provincial capital and one of the most affected areas - the power grid was 60 per cent out of action, according to the state-owned power company which hopes to restore power by October 14.

Some 800 people had to spend the night at the airport as they waited to get out of the city, where a large number of personnel from humanitarian organisations are present.

The city regained some normalcy after some banks resumed operations.

The Red Cross is set to distribute non-perishable food on Friday in the Sigi regency where the organization would participate in search operations for dozens of children who were buried under a mudslide at a Bible camp.

A spokesperson for the organization told Efe that seven more bodies have been recovered, taking the number of victims to 41. Ninety children were rescued.

Families of the children, aged between 11 and 15, are expected to meet with the authorities to determine the exact number of those missing, which according to the Red Cross could be around 100.

--IANS

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