Indonesian rescuers on Saturday found at least a dozen survivors in the rubble on the island of Celebes, hit the day before by a strong earthquake that left dozens of people dead and more than 10,000 homeless.
Read also: Indonesia: a powerful earthquake kills at least 37
At least 46 people died in the magnitude 6.2 earthquake, according to a spokesperson for the disaster management agency.
This earthquake triggered panic among the inhabitants of the west of the island of Celebes, already struck in 2018 by a very strong earthquake followed by a devastating tsumani.
Dozens of lifeless bodies were removed from the rubble of collapsed buildings in Mamuju, the provincial capital of western Celebes.
Other victims were found further south, where a strong aftershock was felt on Saturday morning.
The emergency services take a victim of the earthquake.
HARIANDI HAFID / AFP
A shortage of heavy equipment slowed the efforts of rescuers to extricate the victims, but they managed to extract from the ruins "
at least ten survivors
", announced an official of the rescue services on the spot.
Authorities did not say how many people could still be held captive.
Ice, a resident of Mamuju, was stranded with his family under the rubble of his house when he heard young people looking for survivors.
“
They were screaming 'who's alive?'
and after answering 'yes I am alive', we were able to crawl out of the rubble
”, with the help of the young people, tells AFP the man, who had his broken arm.
Coconut leaves for shelter
Planes and boats arrive with emergency food and equipment, and the navy has sent a medical boat to supplement the still functioning hospitals, overwhelmed by the influx of wounded, according to local media.
Some 190 people are being treated for serious injuries, authorities said.
In addition, some 15,000 residents have gained temporary shelters, often makeshift such as tents and tin huts, where they shelter from heavy rains.
Families sleep in makeshift shelters.
ADEK BERRY / AFP
To prevent the spread of Covid-19, authorities have separated high-risk and lower-risk groups.
“
We are running out of food.
There has been no government aid yet
, ”Desti, 24, who fled her home in Majene, near the epicenter of the earthquake, told AFP.
“
We need blankets and mattresses.
Some sleep on coconut leaves
, ”she explains.
Many are unable to return to their homes that the earthquake has made uninhabitable, or for fear of aftershocks or a tsunami, notes Desti, who like many Indonesians has only one name.
The families were taken in to makeshift shelters.
ADEK BERRY / AFP
In addition, landslides that followed the earthquake and heavy rains cut off access to one of the main roads in the province.
The airport was also damaged as well as a hotel and the seat of the governor while part of the city remains without electricity.
The epicenter of the magnitude 6.2 earthquake was located 36 km south of Mamuju, at a relatively shallow depth of 18 km, the USGS said.
Pope Francis said on Friday "
saddened by the earthquake and expressed
" his solidarity "
to all those affected
".
Another region of Indonesia, Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo, has been hit for a few days by heavy flooding.
They killed five and dozens of residents are missing, local media reported on Saturday.
Kalimantan this Saturday January 16.
HANDOUT / AFP
The Indonesian archipelago, which lies on the
Pacific
'
ring of fire
', an area of high seismic activity, often experiences earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
The region of Palu, further north on the island of Celebes, had already been hit in September 2018 by a very strong 7.5 magnitude earthquake followed by a tsunami.
This disaster left more than 4,300 dead and missing, and at least 170,000 displaced.
Read also: Indonesia: an ultra-rapid earthquake
Another devastating 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra in 2004, causing a tsunami that killed 220,000 people in the region, including around 170,000 in Indonesia.