UN chief tours tsunami-hit Indonesian city as survivors pray

Thousands of survivors of a devastating quake-tsunami prayed Friday by the shores of disaster-struck Palu, as the UN chief praised their "resilience" during a tour of the devastated Indonesian city.

The 7.5-magnitude quake and wall of water that tore through the city on Sulawesi island on September 28 killed more than 2,000 and left thousands more missing, presumed dead.

Entire villages were sucked into the earth at hard-hit areas like Balaroa, when soil turned to mush under the force of the quake.

Rescue teams scoured the wreckage for a fortnight before calling off the search for the dead, acknowledging as many as 5,000 missing people would never be found.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla toured Balaroa, where barely a vertical structure remained.

"For those who have lost their family members, their friends, I want to express my deep condolences. Our hearts are broken by what has happened, but we are in full solidarity with Sulawesi and with Indonesia," Kalla said.

In a separate Twitter post, accompanied by an image of Guterres surveying a vista of destruction, he said: "Your strength and resilience are remarkable."
"I hope the government can provide us a place to live, because I can't go home. My house, my belongings, are all gone. I only have the clothes on my back."