audio, stills, text and or video: Go to zReportage.com to see more - Indonesia's search for victims buried in neighborhoods annihilated by an earthquake and tsunami is nearing its end almost two weeks after the double disasters hit the remote city of Palu in central Sulawesi. A 7.5-magnitude earthquake on Sept. 28 triggered a tsunami and extensive soil liquefaction, a phenomenon that turns soft soil into a seething mire, killing 2,073 people, according to the latest official estimate. Up to 5,000 more may be missing. Palu was Indonesia's second earthquake disaster of 2018. In August, the island of Lombok was rocked by quakes that flattened villages and killed more than 500 people. Indonesia straddles the southwestern reaches of the Pacific Ring of Fire and is practically defined by the tectonic plates that grind below its lush islands and blue seas. Volcanoes that dot the islands have brought fiery destruction and remarkable fertility, but rapid population growth over recent decades means that many more people are now living in hazardous areas. Rescuers struggled to retrieve the dead, the grim job compounded as mud hardened and bodies decomposed in the tropical heat. The search operation is over, but attention is shifting to the massive clean-up and relief mission to assist survivors. The UN has sought US$50.5 million (S$69.5 million) for urgent relief to assist survivors in need. Indonesia initially refused international help, but four days after the disaster, President Joko Widodo reluctantly agreed to allow in overseas aid. Nearly 90,000 people were displaced by the quake, forcing them into evacuation centres across the rubble-strewn city. Officials said it could be two years before all the homeless are found permanent accommodation.
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October 4, 2018 - Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia - MARSYA DEWI INDAH (9) is reviving treatment at Anutapura Hospital after the earthquake. After the earthquake and tsunami, Marsya Dewi Indah lost her mother and sister. A deadly earthquake measuring 7.7 magnitude and the tsunami wave caused by it has destroyed the city of Palu and much of the area in Central Sulawesi. According to the officials, death toll from devastating quake and tsunami rises to 1,347, around 800 people in hospitals are seriously injured and some 62,000 people have been displaced in 24 camps around the region.
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October 7, 2018 - Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia - A mosque lying surrounded the ruins of massive earthquake and tsunami. A 7.5 magnitude earthquake rocked Central Sulawesi province on Sept. 28, triggering a tsunami and mudslides that killed a large number of people and displaced tens of thousands of others. Aid poured into disaster-ravaged Palu on October 7 after days of delays as efforts ramped up to reach 200,000 people in desperate need following a deadly quake-tsunami in the Indonesian city.
© Albert Ivan Damanik/ZUMA Wire
October 3, 2018 - Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia - A damaged vehicle is seen between Balaroa village ruins after the earthquake. A deadly earthquake measuring 7.7 magnitude and the tsunami wave caused by it has destroyed the city of Palu and much of the area in Central Sulawesi. According to the officials, death toll from devastating quake and tsunami rises to 1,347, around 800 people in hospitals are seriously injured and some 62,000 people have been displaced in 24 camps around the region.
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October 2, 2018 - Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia - People on the beach beside a lone standing tree in Palu, after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake and tsunami hit the area on September 28. The Indonesian government on October 2 said the death toll from a devastating quake-tsunami on the island of Sulawesi had risen to 1,234 confirmed dead. Emergency services fear that the death toll could rise into the thousands as rescue teams made contact with the nearby cities of Donggala and Mamuju and strong aftershocks continue to rock the city.
© Albert Ivan Damanik/ZUMA Wire
October 5, 2018 - Palu, Indonesia - Families of victims died crying when praying by earthquake last week at Talise Beach.
© Muhammad Fauzy/NurPhoto/ZUMA Press
October 5, 2018 - Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia - Indonesian Muslims offer prayers near a beach Talise which was swept ashore by the tsunami, after the September 28 earthquake and tsunami. Search teams made desperate last-ditch efforts to find survivors in destroyed buildings from Indonesia's devastating quake-tsunami. Authorities have counted 1,558 dead from the double disaster on Sulawesi island, while 2,549 people are seriously injured.
© Albert Ivan Damanik/ZUMA Wire
October 2, 2018 - Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia - A survivor, Nurhazizah, for medical health in Palu after magnitude 7.5 earthquake and tsunami hit the area on September 28. The Indonesian government said the death toll from a devastating quake-tsunami on the island of Sulawesi had risen to 1,234 people, up from the previous count of 844 have been confirmed dead slammed into Indonesia's coastline on the island of Sulawesi, causing thousands of homes to collapse, along with hospitals, hotels and shopping centers. Emergency services fear that the death toll could rise into the thousands as rescue teams made contact with the nearby cities of Donggala and Mamuju and strong aftershocks continue to rock the city.
© Albert Ivan Damanik/ZUMA Wire
October 2, 2018 - Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia - Indonesian military carry a survivor who will be evacuated for medical care. The Indonesian government said the death toll from a devastating quake-tsunami on the island of Sulawesi had risen to 1,234 people confirmed dead. A magnitude 7.5 earthquake and tsunami September 28, devastated the coastline on the island of Sulawesi, causing thousands of homes to collapse, along with hospitals, hotels and shopping centers.
© Albert Ivan Damanik/ZUMA Wire
October 6, 2018 - Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia - A ship stranded on land after the earthquake and tsunami In Wani village..A deadly earthquake measuring 7.5 magnitude and the tsunami wave caused by it has destroyed the city of Palu and much of the area in Central Sulawesi. According to the officials, death toll from devastating quake and tsunami rises to 1,480, around 800 people in hospitals are seriously injured and some 62,000 people have been displaced in 24 camps around the region.
© Hariandi Hafid/SOPA Images via ZUMA Wire
October 3, 2018 - Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia - The Landmark Arkam Babu Rahman Floating Mosque which has fallen into the sea after the earthquake and tsunami. A deadly earthquake measuring 7.7 magnitude and the tsunami wave caused by it has destroyed the city of Palu and much of the area in Central Sulawesi. According to officials, the death toll from the devastating quake and tsunami rises to 1,347, around 800 people in hospitals are seriously injured and some 62,000 people have been displaced in 24 camps around the region.
© Hariandi Hafid/SOPA Images via ZUMA Wire
October 4, 2018 - Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia - A woman cries when she met her relatives at Anutapura Hospital after the earthquake. A deadly earthquake measuring 7.7 magnitude and the tsunami wave caused by it has destroyed the city of Palu and much of the area in Central Sulawesi. According to officials, the death toll from the devastating quake and tsunami rises to 1,347, around 800 people in hospitals are seriously injured and some 62,000 people have been displaced in 24 camps around the region.
© Hariandi Hafid/SOPA Images via ZUMA Wire
October 3, 2018 - Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia - The Ponulele Bridge of Palu City which collapsed due to the earthquake and tsunami. A deadly earthquake measuring 7.7 magnitude and the tsunami wave caused by it has destroyed the city of Palu and much of the area in Central Sulawesi. According to officials, the death toll from the devastating quake and tsunami rises to 1,347, around 800 people in hospitals are seriously injured and some 62,000 people have been displaced in 24 camps around the region.
© Hariandi Hafid/SOPA Images via ZUMA Wire
October 3, 2018 - Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia - Indonesian rescuers carry the body bag of a disaster victim during a mass burial at a field, after an earthquake and tsunami on September 28. Indonesian government said the death toll from a devastating quake-tsunami on the island of Sulawesi had risen to 1,234 people, up from the previous count of 844 have been confirmed dead slammed into Indonesia's coastline on the island of Sulawesi, causing thousands of homes to collapse, along with hospitals, hotels and shopping centers. Emergency services fear that the death toll could rise into the thousands as rescue teams made contact with the nearby cities of Donggala and Mamuju and strong aftershocks continue to rock the city.
© Albert Ivan Damanik/ZUMA Wire
October 3, 2018 - Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia - A grandmother is nursing her granddaughter in the Lere Refugee settlement. A deadly earthquake measuring 7.7 magnitude and the tsunami wave caused by it has destroyed the city of Palu and much of the area in Central Sulawesi. According to the officials, the death toll from devastating quake and tsunami rises to 1,347, around 800 people in hospitals are seriously injured and some 62,000 people have been displaced in 24 camps around the region.
© Hariandi Hafid/SOPA Images via ZUMA Wire
October 4, 2018 - Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia - Villagers search for salvageable items among the ruins of a house devastated after the earthquake and tsunami hit the area. A total of 1,411 people have been confirmed dead and over 2,500 injured after the monster earthquake struck on September 28 sending destructive waves barrelling into Sulawesi island.
© Albert Ivan Damanik/ZUMA Wire
October 3, 2018 - Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia - A resident crossed the damaged road in Talise beach area. A deadly earthquake measuring 7.7 magnitude and the tsunami wave caused by it has destroyed the city of Palu and much of the area in Central Sulawesi. According to officials, thee death toll from the devastating quake and tsunami rises to 1,347, around 800 people in hospitals are seriously injured and some 62,000 people have been displaced in 24 camps around the region.
© Hariandi Hafid/SOPA Images via ZUMA Wire
October 5, 2018 - Palu, Sulawesi, Indonesia - Indonesian rescuers carry a victim at Talisha beach. Thousands of people died from the 7.7 earthquake that triggered a tsunami which destroyed thousands of houses and buildings near the beach and killed over 1,500 people.
© Donal HusniZUMA Wire
October 9, 2018 - Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia - Indonesian military personnel prepare to evacuate local people board a Hercules plane at the Mutiara SIS Al-Jufrie Airport. Nearly 2000 bodies have been recovered in Balaroa, Petobo and Sigi, two of Palu's hardest-hit neighborhoods. Officials warn that number will rise, with an estimated 5000 people still missing.
© Albert Ivan Damanik/ZUMA Wire
October 5, 2018 - Palu, Mid Sulawesi, Indonesia - A resident wears a mask as retrieval of dead bodies is ongoing at Talisha beach. Thousands of people died from 7.7 SR earth quake that a triggered tsunami which destroyed thousands of houses and buildings near the beach.
© Donal HusniZUMA Wire
October 4, 2018 - Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia - A resident stands on the ruins of a building that was destroyed by the earthquake. A deadly earthquake measuring 7.5 magnitude and the tsunami wave caused by it has destroyed the city of Palu and much of the area in Central Sulawesi. According to the officials, the death toll from the devastating quake and tsunami rises to 1,480, around 800 people in hospitals are seriously injured and some 62,000 people have been displaced in 24 camps around the region.
© Hariandi Hafid/SOPA Images via ZUMA Wire
