Bodies pile up as Indonesia suffers from devastating effects of quake, tsunami

The confirmed death toll from an earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia's Sulawesi Island has risen to 1,407, the disaster mitigation agency said on Wednesday.

The 7.5 magnitude quake and deadly tsunami waves it triggered last Friday heavily injured over 2,500 people.

It is feared that the death toll will continue to surge, as most of the confirmed dead have come from Palu, a small city 1,500 km (930 miles) northeast of Jakarta, and losses in remote areas largely cut off since Friday are yet to be accounted for.

Victims of the disaster are having difficulty obtaining necessities such as food and drinking water. Search and rescue operations in collapsed buildings throughout the region continue.

The quake brought down hotels, shopping malls and thousands of houses in Palu, while tsunami waves as high as six meters (20 feet) battered its beachfront shortly afterwards.

The UN said Tuesday that it is allocating $15 million from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to assist the victims of the devastating natural disaster.

“Thousands of people are unable to return to their damaged or destroyed homes and aftershocks continue. While the government and first responders are working tirelessly to deliver life-saving aid, the needs remain vast,” a statement released by the UN said.

The UN has estimated that 66,000 homes and vital infrastructure were damaged, including roads and bridges.

Central Sulawesi Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) head Bartholomeus Tandigala said that search and rescue activities had to be paused at nightfall, and that disruptions were breaking out because locals had nearly no access to drinking water.

“Lack of electricity is negatively affecting search and rescue activities, access and communication,” said Tandigala.

The Istanbul-based Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) is continuing its aid efforts in the region. The group said on Monday that they had delivered food and shelter provisions to 2,000 victims.

The foundation had sent a five-person team as soon as the devastating earthquake struck and launched a fundraising campaign for the quake victims.

There are reports of looting incidents in the quake-hit cities of Palu and Dongala.

Police have done little to stop outbreaks of looting. The government has played down the problem, saying that victims could take essentials and shops would be compensated.

“Home and shop owners choose to stay with their properties even if they have no food or water in case looting occurs,” BPBD head Tandigala said.