The balance sheet continues to grow, at the rate of the difficulties that have been added every day since the tragedy.
While the relief operations continue in already difficult conditions this Sunday on the Indonesian island of Celebes, torrential rains have further complicated the task of rescuers.
Cranes and mechanical shovels were deployed in the ruins of devastated buildings in Mamuju, the city most affected by the magnitude 6.2 earthquake on Friday morning, which in a final death toll left 73 people dead.
It is not known how many bodies are still under the rubble, or if survivors are still trapped there.
"The rains pose additional difficulties because they risk causing the total collapse of some damaged buildings, and aftershocks too," said Octavianto, a 37-year-old rescuer who, like many Indonesians, has only one only name.
Heavy machinery should also take every precaution, as moving debris too quickly can be fatal to people trapped below.
"Probable that those buried are dead"
“All the people we found were dead,” Octavianto said.
“After more than 24 hours, it is likely that those buried are dead.
»A new drama for this island, already devastated in 2018 by a very strong earthquake followed by a devastating tsunami that killed 4,300 people.
Aerial images of the capital of West Sulawesi province, a city of 110,000 people bathed by the Makassar Strait, show many buildings in ruins, including a hospital and the governor's office.
Thousands of people who have lost their homes have taken refuge in makeshift shelters, usually a tent covered with a tarp.
VIDEO. Indonesia: violent earthquake kills several, hospital collapses
Many say they are running out of food and blankets.
Food and emergency equipment were dispatched to the island by planes and boats, and the navy sent a medical ship to supplement the hospitals still in operation.
While thousands of people have lost their homes, others do not want to return home for fear of aftershocks or a tsunami like in 2018.
In total destitution
"It's better to take shelter in case something worse happens," says Mamuju resident Abdul Wahab, who has taken refuge in a tent with his wife and four children, including a baby.
“We hope that the government can quickly send us aid, food, medicine and milk for the children.
Near the only hospital in the city that is still relatively intact, a dispensary has been set up to accommodate the wounded, some with broken limbs.
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Among them was Wawan, who was rescued by neighbors when he was buried under the rubble.
“I was traumatized,” said the 27-year-old.
Initially, he didn't want to go to the hospital to have his broken foot checked.
“But I let myself be convinced when I found out that people were being treated outside.
"
Worried about a possible outbreak of Covid-19 in overcrowded camps, the authorities have announced that they will try to form groups of people according to the risks.
"The situation in Indonesia is an emergency," said the NGO Project HOPE.
“The Covid-19 further complicates the answer.
"
Floods, landslides and volcanic eruption
Landslides, which followed the earthquake, and heavy rains cut off access to one of the province's main roads.
The airport was also damaged.
This earthquake is not, however, the only natural disaster currently hitting the archipelago.
On the Indonesian part of the neighboring island of Borneo, at least five people have died in flooding, and dozens are missing, according to media reports.
Floods also killed five people in Manado, the large city in the far north of Celebes.
In West Java province, at least 32 people have died in landslides caused by heavy rainfall.
🌋 FLASH - Mount #Semeru released large plumes of smoke in the early afternoon.
The highest volcano in #Java, in #Indonesia, had already erupted on December 1, leading to the evacuation of several hundred inhabitants.pic.twitter.com / KZYVv4HyES
- Mediavenir (@Mediavenir) January 16, 2021
At the other end of the same island, the Semeru erupted on Saturday night, spewing a column of smoke and dust at an altitude of 4,500 meters, as glowing lava flowed down its flanks.
No casualties were reported in this eruption.
The Indonesian archipelago, which lies on the Pacific 'ring of fire', an area of high seismic activity, often experiences earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.